


Heaven on Earth

by peccamare



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Bottom Castiel/Top Dean Winchester, Dean/Cas/Sam are safe dw, Don't worry, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, M/M, Minor Character Death(s), Outer Space, POV Multiple, Post-Apocalypse, Sexual Content, Slow Build, TV Show The 100 AU, Tags May Change, There is swearing, There will be a happy ending bc im nice, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Violence, You Have Been Warned, probably, the 100 au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-11 03:11:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5611678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peccamare/pseuds/peccamare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's lived on The Ark (a large orbital home for humans) for all of his life. Before he knows it he's being sent down to Earth with one hundred other people to survive and find out if radiation from the nuclear war 97 years ago is still present.</p><p>Dean's whole world changes and with that comes danger, friendship and possibly love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. THE ARK

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ^_^ This is my first fanfic so yeah uh nervous... still trying to fall into a pattern and comfortable way of writing. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER(S); This is an AU of the TV series 'The 100' with spn characters (obviously), so... 1) characters are not my own (credit to spn) and 2) neither is the whole post apocalyptic setting/general plot idea (credit to the actual creators of 'The 100').
> 
> The plot will be altered a bit since there'll be developments between supernatural characters.
> 
> Seriously though, The 100 is an awesome TV Show; go watch it! (You'll see definite similarities with the plot, some characters, and social groups... like the grounders and sky people. I don't want to spoil too much, though I have already if you read this fanfic)
> 
> WARNING: *There will be swearing and sexual content... and how detailed? well idk because it's a working progress and I'm still deciding if I am brave enough to write some *cough* stuff... *hides*  
> *Also, I'm sorry for any mistakes! I DO read over my work a couple of times at least, however knowing me I'm pretty horrible and tend to not pick up on errors!
> 
> ALSO, I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE (SPACE SHIPS, WHATEVER), MECHANIC STUFF, MEDICINE ETC, and if anything seems - well - not possible, then please remember this is fiction ;-; I tried *I'm sorry*
> 
> THANKS TO: A close friend of mine for encouraging me to write and for putting up with me spamming her with my writing! :D The Samifer tag is dedicated to her, since she's currently obsessing over Sam/Lucifer (I don't like abuse so Luci in this fic is just a stuck up dick.)  
> Also, thanks to TARDISwings for being awesome and making suggestions. And I'm sorry about Samifer, but it's gonna happen.
> 
> Aaaanyways, enjoy!
> 
> *FUTURE EDIT: My close friend finally got an account! :D her name's whiteviolet so uh quick shout out I guess for when and if she does write something ^_^

**CHAPTER 1: THE ARK**

Glancing at his watch, Dean watches the little hand tick steadily, a constant rhythm that sounds the nearing of New Year’s Day. With only three minutes left until 12:00 AM, Dean twists the lid off of his beer and relishes in how the alcohol tingles down his throat. Life sucks, his dingy couch sucks, and the last few remaining minutes of the year 2161 suck.

His dorky (and insanely smart, mind you,) brother Sam is at some party with his gorgeous girlfriend Jess. She’s weirdly perfect for his brother in the sense that they’re both nature loving nerds. They were made for each other, literally. Really though, Sam’s done a good job. Better than what Dean could ever do.

And here we go again. So what if his view on most things is crap. ‘Negative’ is Dean’s middle name and he’s never really _lived_ an exciting youthful lifestyle since he was forced to grow up at the age of 10. Plus he’s been stuck on a boring huge ass floating space ship (aka ‘The Ark’) in the sky for all 24 years of his life. Long story short, and if Dean remembers the shit he learnt in history class correctly, there was a huge nuclear war 97 years ago that wiped out almost all life on Earth. The Ark was formed before everything went _boom_ and is made up of 12 stations that are connected and orbit the Earth. Around 2,400 people live on The Ark, and these people are the only known survivors to mankind.  

In some ways Dean guesses he’s lucky. He’s alive, has a family – and maybe a shitty father -, but a family nonetheless. Though honestly, it’s a hard life on The Ark. Obedience is _everything_ , and stealing a piece of chewing gum can have you floated – in other words, blasted off to die in space. Anyone under the age of 18 simply gets confined in a cell (or in friendlier terms, a ‘room’) for a year or two; it honestly depends and often changes. So yeah, life sucks.

With that final thought it’s now 12:00 AM and Dean can hear the faint echoes of cheers and music erupt from behind the solid metal weight of his little home. Damn. He sinks further back into his couch and takes another swing of his drink.

“Fuck.”

Six more hours until he gets floated.

\---

_(16 hours ago)_

One faulty inner airlock door, a minor oxygen tank leakage, and a busted radio in need of a repair keeps Dean on his toes at work. It’s eight in the morning, New Year’s Eve, and he’s working which sucks a _lot_ , but The Ark needs people like him to constantly fix things. So yeah he feels like slacking on a _holiday,_ but Bobby, Dean’s boss and close family friend, keeps nagging Dean’s head off to keep him on track.

“Alright, alright! I got it! Airlock first up!” Hands raised in the air, Dean turns around to flee from the older man’s glare.

“Better not catch you slackin’ again boy! You gotta job to do!”

Yeah, whatever. Dean heads towards a long bench covered in tools, wires and cords and grabs a bunch, placing them in his tool box. He salutes Bobby mockingly and grins at the reaction he gets; a scoff and a smile as the other shakes their head. Bobby may be hard on his ass, but he’s the coolest old dude he knows…you know, despite his scruffy beard, worn out baseball cap and annoying lectures. Dean loves him anyway and Bobby’s always been there for him. Hell, Bobby’s practically Dean’s father. Well, _is_ his surrogate father, but he’ll never say and admit all that mushy stuff out loud.

Dean smiles as he leaves the room, grabbing a small flashlight and turning left into a large common looking white corridor covered in _whatever the hell_ material they use to build space stations with. What? He’s a mechanic; he doesn’t exactly build things, he fixes and puts stuff back together.

He passes a few familiar faces on the way, even stopping a few times for a quick hello before he remembers that he has a job to do. As he turns a corner he sees a group of people which he quickly passes by once he notices a girl staring at him from beneath her lashes. Yeah she was attractive, had a slim figure and a pretty face, but she didn’t interest Dean that much. Right now, Dean preferred men to women, subtly craving the look of toned muscles and anything masculine. But hey, he knows when to appreciate beauty.

One last final turn and a few minutes later, Dean enters the area containing the faulty airlock system.  Luckily for him, it’s the inner airlock that’s causing problems, so that means Dean just has to quickly open the panel on the wall on his side and fiddle around a bit. Simple.

According to bobby a few cords in there were a bit frayed and needed replacing. The airlock doors were often not reacting when commanded to close, open, vice versa. Hence, this section has been barred for use for the past month or so. Dean places his tool box on the ground and opens it, pulling out a few cords and tools. He stands up again and opens the panel, placing the flashlight in his mouth to see better as he identifies which cords need replacing. He reaches in with his wrench in one hand and does what he needs to do. It takes a little while but he gets it done, and Dean can finally tick that off his mental _things to fix_ list.

A little while later Dean has replaced his equipment at Bobby’s, placing appropriate tools in his toolbox for the next task. The walk is longer this time since the oxygen tanks and algae farms he’s headed towards are located a good 20 minutes away.

Dean’s whistling a random tune, minding his own business when he suddenly hears loud angry whispers in the far off distance. Both are male, clearly upset and are having a conversation he obviously shouldn’t be listening to so he quickly hides himself in a corner.

“…Shut up!”

“…Just hush! Okay, look. We need to think about this-”

“What’s there to think about? We’ve been fucked over by the Chancellor, our ‘oh so great’ leader…! She doesn’t give a shit about us, about her people, about-”

“I know I know I know! … Just, stop for a second and calm down... Shit! Maybe the reading on the tanks were wrong?”

“You know that’s bullshit! The oxygen levels are- fuck, they’re falling. The tanks showed that we have only three months worth of air left. Three.”

“Okay. Okay yeah, you’re right… shit… We can’t let authorities know that we know. The oxygen area’s off limits and damn, we shouldn’t have been there. If the council get wind of this…”

“Yeah, fuck I know. Floated.”

Dean’s eyes widen in surprise. What the fuck are they talking about? Oxygen, three months, the council? Sounds like bullshit for all he knows but eavesdropping on a serious conversation such as this makes Dean nervous. Really nervous. Shit, if it’s true then what are the authorities doing? His father John is on the council, so does that mean that he knows? For how long? Fuck! He’s so confused and frustrated! It can’t be true… the council wouldn’t not tell them, right?

He hears shuffling approaching in the distance and with nowhere to hide Dean takes a deep breath and steps out from the corner, walking towards the men casually as if he hadn’t just eavesdropped on them. He’s doing a job. He was work. He needs to fix stuff. Yup, innocent Dean is all there is to see. Totally hasn’t been standing there for the past five minutes. Nope.

The two men hurry past Dean, eyeing him wearily. He just smiles at them and continues walking at a calm and controlled pace, ignoring how fast his heart is beating. Deep breaths Dean. In and out. In and – fuck, he may be able to see the readings on the oxygen tanks if he’s sneaky enough. Maybe then he can see for real if this shit is serious.

Dean walks a bit faster and ends up where he needs to be. Taking out his key card from his pocket, he approaches a big sturdy door, pressing it against the sensor on the wall. The light flashes green and he descends the stairs before him to the level below. Another door later and Dean’s finally there, in a long room with a control pad and a large window that allows him to see the oxygen tanks in the opposite area. No one’s there with him at the moment, leaving Dean to quickly open another door that leads to that other area. He steps down many metal steps, hearing the clanks as he reaches the ground. Dean moves over to the closest oxygen tank, which is but one of many, drops his toolbox and finds a small control pad that stands before it. He really shouldn’t be doing this, but curiosity be damned. If the lives of everyone on here are at risk, including his, then he’s pretty confident that he deserves the truth.

“Okay, so uh… gotta press this…” _click_ , “…and this…” _click,_ “…and now checking the average air levels of The Ark. What else? Oh, need to press ‘confirm’,” Dean shrugs, “Sure.” _Click._

A gauge symbol appears on the small screen, surrounded by many numbers, dates and lists that Dean could honestly care less about. Though what does catch Dean’s attention is a flashing red rectangle on the bottom corner that says ‘oxygen low’. He presses it. What comes up next is a lot of writing and nine whole words that have him freaking out; ‘estimated three months left of oxygen supply currently available.’

“What the fuck?” he murmurs, shocked.

There’s a thump in the background, causing Dean to frantically turn off the control pad. Someone just entered the other room and have probably already spotted Dean. He just needs to act cool and calm, play it off as if he wasn’t just snooping and was actually doing his job.

Dean bends down and picks up his toolbox, slowly heading over to the oxygen tank to climb up a ladder to check the vault at the top for any signs of leaking. Before he can manage that, however, he hears another door open and feet climbing down the stairs. Dean knows the sound of those footsteps from anywhere, the pace and weight of each and every single step. Eyes squeezed close, he tries to calm his breathing and ignore the small hairs that stand on his body.

 He feels a rough hand tightly grip his shoulder.

“Dean.”

“Oh! Uh, Hey dad! Just doing a check for Bobby, you know… Oxygen tanks have been showing signs of loose parts and yeah…” Dean rubs the back of his neck, “…work.”

John remains silent, eyes cold, calculating and masked with suspicion. They stare at each other for a few tense seconds before the older man tilts his head up slightly, showing his authority.

“Hmm,” John throws a quick obvious glance towards the control pad, “…didn’t know that fixing a few bolts and screws requires _that_.”

“Oh uh no, I was just seeing if everything was fine, you know? Don’t wanna mess something up and create a bigger problem, leak; air could be contaminated n’ all that…”

“It’s not.” John states. Dean opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted when his father holds his hand up, silencing him. “You can’t take me for a fool, boy. No one can know, and right now _you_ know nothing.”

 Dean scoffs. Is he serious? Three months left of oxygen and the council can’t even tell their own people, can’t even let them know and prepare for their last moments in life. That’s fucking wrong.

“Dad, how could you… no, how could you all keep this from us? What about mum and Sammy? What about Bobby and every other fucking person on The Ark? They deserve to know when their time comes. When our time comes!”

“Dean, you must listen to me very carefully and I won’t say it again. _No one_ must know. That’s a fucking simple order and you need to get that through your thick skull.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh I’m very serious, and unless you wanna keep that ass of yours on this ship you better shut up.” John moves his hand and rubs at his stubble, releasing a deep sigh, “Dean, come with me. I need to make you understand.”

“Fine.” Dean grabs his toolbox.

Without any other more words, John beckons for Dean to follow and they both walk up the metal stairs, through the long room, up more stairs and out onto the main level. They walk for ten minutes in silence before Dean realises that John’s taking them both back to his home; a place Dean hasn’t visited often since he turned 18.

When they finally get there Dean’s surprised to see his mother Mary sitting down at the table with her head in her hands. John walks in unannounced and Mary raises her head to glance up at John and – to her surprise - Dean. She brushes her golden hair out of her face, revealing her watery eyes yet small smile at the welcoming sight of her son.

“Hello Dean,” she clears her throat and smiles again before frowning and turning to John to whisper, “John, why is Dean here?”

“He knows.” John pulls out a chair opposite to Mary and sits down.

Mary freezes, “John I thought we came to an agreement not to let them both know!”

“Well Dean knows!” he yells, then pauses to say, “Sam doesn’t and he won’t ever.”

Dean locks eye contact with Mary and notices the fear on her face turn into a strong resolve. She speaks up softly, barely a whisper as she turns to John once more, “…everyone deserves to know. The council can’t hide this forever, John. What are you going to do when three months turns into two, into one, into ten-five-four days left? They deserve to _know_.”

“But they can’t,” John closes his eyes and pinches his nose, “we’ve been over this Mary. If people know then there will be chaos. I know you know that-”

“But we don’t! What if they react well, what if we all come together-”

“That’s a dream and you know it! A risk! A big fucking risk and we’re not gonna blow it!” he stands, smacks the table and breathes out shakily, “The council and I are working on a solution right this moment. We need patience, we need to wait.”

Everything falls silent and Dean just stands there. There has to be something. A way that this can all be avoided. Fuck, mum’s right; people deserve to know. But his dad, as much as he hates to admit it, has a point. No solution is gonna work if people are panicking too much to band together. But, still…

Wait… he has an idea.

“Dad, what if we increase the algae levels? More oxygen to possibly buy us more time or something, you know?”

John simply shakes his head and dismisses the idea, “We’ve already thought of that. It’s not a safe option. The over production of algae would most likely contaminate the air and tanks, and that’s something we definitely wanna avoid.”

Shit, yeah true. Didn’t think of that. Guess they’re fucked. Completely and utterly one hundred percent fucked.

John walks to the door, turning around briefly to look at his wife, “Righteousness won’t save anyone Mary. Please,” he begs, “Just don’t do anything you shouldn’t. I… I can’t lose you. You know that – fuck, - if you say anything I’ll have to report you. Sacrifices are willing to be made if it’s for the greater good; for our people.” he glances at Dean, jaw tight, then leaves.  

“Dean, sweetie,” his mum softly says, “…come here.”

He walks over and grabs a chair, pulling it out and facing Mary. She reaches up and grabs his face with both of her hands, thumbs lightly stroking his cheek. Right then and there Dean allows himself to be vulnerable, to be exposed.

“Mum…” he whispers, eyes closing and body falling into her gentle embrace, “what’re we going to do?”

“…”

“Mum?” He opens his eyes and sees tears rolling down her face.

“Not ‘we’, Dean, _‘me’_.”

He lets out a shaky breath, “…what? Mum, no… what’re you going to do? You heard dad!”

“I know. But he hasn’t heard me at all. People deserve to know Dean, and I will try my hardest to let them hear the truth… listen to me, you and Sam are going to be alright. You’re safe. I promise you that. Before anyone can hurt you they’ll have to go through me first, you understand?”

“Y-yeah, but-”

“Sam can’t know Dean. Protect your little brother, you can do that. I know you can and I’m so proud of you.” she leans her forehead against Dean and closes her eyes, “Since you were ten you’ve done that; looked after Sam whilst your dad and I were working to get on the council. Even though I’ve left it, my heart’s still there and I _will_ protect my people.” She kisses the top of his head and tightens her hug before letting go, “I love you Dean.”

“I love you too.” He will not cry. He is a grown man and _fuck_ he wants to cry. Mum’s gonna tell and God knows what trouble she’s getting herself into. Worst case scenario; floated if busted. Chances of getting busted? Pretty fucking high. But he won’t say it out loud, he can’t, because whenever he says shit it comes true and the last thing he wants is for mum to get floated.

Mary leaves the room and he just sits there in a daze. He doesn’t want to move but he has to, so he does. The rest of the day is a blur. Bobby conks him over the head a few times, muttering under his breath _‘…stop day dreaming boy!’_ and _‘Just because it’s a holiday…’_. But he can’t focus, and he doesn’t care. It doesn’t take long to fix the radio and he eventually returns it to its rightful owner. He still has the oxygen tanks to check out but there’s no way in hell Dean’s going back there, so he lies to Bobby saying he couldn’t find anything wrong and maybe whoever reported it misjudged. That has Bobby scratching his head but he just shrugs and gives Dean extra things to work on.

Work finally finishes at four in the afternoon and after a long day he decides to go see Sammy. The tall monolith (literally) is pretty much his best friend and Dean needs to just lay back and relax. Sam is always able to help him do that simply by mucking around and letting Dean tease him. That’s something he really needs at the moment. And why not? He hasn’t seen Sam in a while anyways since he’s busy studying medicine all the time. The little nerd is only four years younger than Dean and already he’s smarter than what he could ever be. So yeah, Sammy’s pretty damn awesome.

Dean knocks on his brother’s door and waits, face lighting up eventually when he hears a muffled ‘ _Be out in a second!’_

The door opens and Sam appears, “Oh! Hey Dean, come on in.”

“Heyyy Sammy! How’re ya doin!” Dean grins and messes up his little brother’s hair. At least for now Dean can forget the whole three-month-oxygen-crisis thing. It’s nice being here and the both of them quickly get lost in a conversation.

“Can’t believe you had to work today Dean. That really sucks.”

“I know. But hey, at least I’m raking in the cash!”

“What cash? You’re a mechanic and they hardly get anything. You guys are totally under paid and work practically every day of the year.”

“Well, you’re in college studying medicine. Have fun learning for another 4 years and having no money until you finish you goofball.”

“I may only be twenty Dean but I’ll be earning way more than you once you’re old!”

“Hey! I’ll be twenty eight, excuse you! Still young and vibrant!” he huffs, “bitch.”

“Jerk.” Sam shakes his head and laughs, “Seriously Dean.”

“What?” he smiles but then it falters slightly. God he loves Sammy, and he’d do anything for him. It just fucking sucks that he can’t say anything to him… Okay! Snap out of it! “Uh hey, you had a party thing on tonight, right?”

Sam tilts his head at Dean’s odd silence but then nods at his question, “Yeah, Jess wants me to go with her. Everyone’s going since it’s this huge New Year’s Eve/Day party that this Bela chick is throwing. You should come Dean, it’ll be fun.”

“Nah, I wanna chill by myself tonight. Long day at work, you know?”

“Yeah I guess. Are you sure? I don’t want you spending tonight by yourself. Jess and I could come over at some time tonight, or morning.”

Dean laughs, “Sure, why not? I won’t be going to bed until 3 am anyways. Why don’t you two crash at my place after the party or whenever. If I happen to be passed out on the couch just come right on in.” Dean points at Sam, “No necking in my house though; especially not on my bed, that’s my place to uh… yeah.” a goofy grin lights up Dean’s face as he remembers that one time he brought home this really hot chick uh Sandra, Sandy… Sarah? Heh, whatever.

“Ew, gross Dean, stop that. I really don’t need to know anything so zip it. But yeah sure, Jess and I will come visit tonight.”

“Awesome. Thanks Sammy!”

A few hours pass and Dean’s home by himself. It’s eight o’clock and apparently Sam and Jess are getting ready for that party or whatever now. He walks around his little home, opening his fridge and grabbing a beer from his new six pack. Five left. Awesome.

Time passes in a blur once again and Dean’s left alone to his thoughts as he sits down at the table and nibbles at some food. He’s honestly not hungry, feeling slightly sick now knowing that the upcoming year 2162 will be his last… everyone’s last...

“Ugh.” He drags a hand over his face. This can’t be happening, but it is. He really wants to tell Sam but he promised his mum that he wouldn’t, and if his mum is going to die trying to reveal the truth then he’ll respect every last wish of hers. He needs to protect Sam, be there for him, and he will.

_Knock knock._

Who could that be? It couldn’t be Sam and Jess; they aren’t coming over until much later. But if it is, then hah, speak of the devil.

Walking over to the door, he opens it to find an Ark guard standing before him. Another guard is standing off slightly in the background letting the other guy do the talking.

“Dean Winchester?”

“Uh, yep. Nobody else but me here, so yeah, I’m obviously Dean. What’s the problem, sir?” If the guard glared at Dean then he didn’t notice, not with his already serious poker face. He really shouldn’t have made that witty comment.

“You’re under arrest for committing treason against The Ark. Dean Winchester, for you are a fully pledged adult at the age of twenty four you have been sentenced to floating and are expected to pay for your crimes tomorrow morning at approximately 6:30. Because today is your last day, the Chancellor has granted you special permission to remain here until we collect you at 6 am for your sentence. Anything you say or do against the council in this time from here on out can be used against you and your sentence will be pushed forward ahead of time. Are we clear?”

Dean gulps. Floating? Treason? The fuck? What could get him in so much trouble? Shit; the oxygen. He hasn’t said anything though! But only his dad and mum know that he knows. Wait. Dad. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck! His fucking father did him in!? What the actual fuck! He couldn’t even trust his own son!

“There’s got to be a mistake, I haven’t done anything!” The guard clenches his jaw at him and narrows his eyes, making Dean relent, “…fine, yeah, we’re clear.” He watches the guard nod slightly and then exit with his partner, leaving Dean to close the door and slide down against it.

“I’m getting floated… I’m going to die.” Holy shit. What’s he supposed to say to Sammy… to mum? He can’t even bring himself to look his dad in the eye knowing that the bastard turned him in. Whiskey. At this moment he seriously needs whiskey. Anything to just take the pain away and make him numb. He gets up and walks over to the fridge again. Beer; he only has beer.

“Shit…” he murmurs. He grabs the whole carton and carries it over with him to his old couch. It’s comfy and all, but it was Bobby’s and that means it’s worn out and smelling slightly of mothballs. Though right now he could care less, and as his heart slows down after welcoming the buzzing effects of drink after drink, Dean glances down at his watch, closes his eyes, and leans his head back. Four more hours until New Year’s Day.

\---

_(Current time)_

“Hey Sam! Over here!” Jess laughs, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the crowd of dancing people. Bright lights flash, lighting up the room in a dizzying swirl of colours. Red, green, blue, and pink paint the walls and the faces of people making it a sight to see. Yet honestly, the only thing Sam can focus on is Jess. Stunning Jess. Girlfriend Jess. Amazing Jess. He watches her features brighten, golden locks of hair falling gracefully over her face. God, Sam’s so hopelessly in love.

She stops pulling him once they reach the centre of the crowd and begins to sway her hips, fist pumping like everyone else to the heavy, steady beat of music. Sam laughs and approaches her, placing his hands on her hips and dances. At this moment, it’s only them. Not even the shouts of everyone else in the room can distract him from the smile on Jess’ face. The crowd begins to roar, the countdown to New Year’s beginning.

 _‘TEN… NINE… EIGHT!’ …_ Sam slowly pulls Jess towards him, _‘SEVEN… SIX… FIVE!’ …_ their bodies brush up against each other as their faces inch closer... _‘FOUR… THREE… TWO!’_ They stare into each other’s eyes and glance at the other’s lips… ‘ _ONE!” …_ Sam brushes his lips against Jess’ and fervently kisses her, desperately chasing the sweet taste of everything that just screams _Jess._

Before they know it the moment’s over and everyone simply keeps partying. Jess glances up at him once more and smiles, yelling; “We should head back and keep Dean some company!”

“Yeah.” Sam exhales, the excitement of that kiss slowly leaving his body, “yeah we should.”

Jess grabs his hand and together they leave, travelling to Dean’s small apartment. Sam knocks on his brother’s door and receives no answer. He looks at Jess, “Probably passed out. Said that may happen.” he shrugs.

They go in and to prove Sam’s point, Dean is passed out on his couch, a whole six pack of beer drunken. His brother’s snoring but it’s not too loud, thank God. Dean tends to snore loudly when he’s drunk.

“Jess, you can lay in Dean’s bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”

She laughs, “Thought we weren’t allowed to sleep there? Cooties and everything.”

“We aren’t,” Sam snorts, “but Dean’s on the couch and I’m not carrying him. Plus, he won’t mind. Dean just likes to say stuff like that for fun.” Jess shrugs and heads over to the bed. Meanwhile, Sam picks up the empty bottles of beer on the ground and places them on the table. He then goes over to Dean and plucks a bottle out of his hand and lays him down slowly on the couch. He sees an extra blanket near Jess and grabs that, putting it over Dean and placing the bottle he grabbed from his brother on the table with the rest. He was looking forward to chatting with Dean and it’s only 1 am, but he’s not going to disturb his brother if he’s knocked out. _‘Must have had a rough day’_ Sam thinks, and recalls his brother’s odd behaviour from earlier that night.

“Night Dean.”

“…Ngh…”

Sam goes over to Jess and they tuck themselves in, both falling soundly asleep in a matter of seconds.

\---

Dean groans and rubs his face. There’s a dull throb in his head but it’s nothing painful since he only remembers drinking a little bit last night. So maybe it’s the stress causing it. Either way, it still throbs and Dean groans again, sitting up slowly and looking at his watch. _5:52 am_ it reads, and that causes Dean to full on panic. Eight minutes left.

“Shit!” He stands up and runs over to his draws. In his bed he notices Sam and Jess sleeping and internally curses. _Fuck, he forgot about them coming over! Sam and Jess can’t be here and see him get taken!_ He rushes over to his draws and quickly puts on a clean shirt and some jeans. Dean stumbles a little in the process and makes a loud noise that has him cringing.

“..Dean? Ugh… What’re you doing…?” Sam mumbles, eyes bleary with sleep. He sits up a little, careful not to disturb Jess as he watches Dean rush around the room.

“Nothing! Don’t worry about me.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” Sam frowns, rubbing his eyes as he adjusts to being awake.

“You know what, you’re right. Sam you need to leave - I’m really sorry! – I have uh some company coming over and yeah…”

“-What? Are you sure? It can’t be that important-”

“-Yeah it is!”

 _Bang_. The door bursts open and Ark guards fill the room.

“Dean Winchester, you are required to leave this instant.”

 _“Shit.”_ Dean swears. _They’re a few minutes early!_

He knows he looks like a deer caught in headlights when he glances over at Sam, but he can’t help it; he’s shitting himself. “I-I’m sorry Sammy I need to go.” He turns to leave when a guard approaches him, grabbing his arm. They get shoved away when Dean yanks his arm free, hissing; “I can walk by myself.”

“DEAN!” Sam yells after him.

He’s pulled out of the room and dragged into the hallway. Most people are asleep at this time, since it’s only six in the morning and a holiday, leaving Dean and the guards to swiftly travel in silence. In the distance he can hear Sam and Jess pacing quickly after him, not daring to run in case they get forced back by a guard.

He’s really going to die, and that’s a scary thought to have when he’s literally walking towards his deathbed. Sam’s here, Jess is here, and he’s failed mum. He can’t protect Sam now, not that now he’s going to be out of the picture. And shit, mum; dad wouldn’t betray her too, right? Not when mum’s his everything…

Well he thought wrong.

He’s dragged into a large open room notoriously known as the ‘Floating Gate’. Surrounding the room are some members of the council, including the Chancellor. At the very end of the room there’s an airlock with a clear open door on his side and a large thick closed door on the other. That closed door is the only barrier between The Ark and space. Standing in front of the glass door is his mother, Mary, who begins to tear up when she sees him. A look of grief flashes across her face, but she shows no regret for whatever she had planned to do, or has done. Ellen, the Chancellor, approaches Mary and they exchange a short conversation. Ellen was always a close friend of mum’s, yet takes her position as Chancellor seriously, and there are no exceptions for anyone who breaks the rules; not even for her best friend.

Dean and Sam stand there in shock, struck still as they watch their mother turn around and walk into the chamber. She’s going to die. She’s accepted her fate. She’ll never be seen again. Dropping to his knees with tears streaming down his face, Dean just watches – just watches Ellen nod to an Ark guard who opens a panel on cue, pulling down a lever.

Not even a second later the outer door opens and his mum’s gone, sucked out into space. Everything seems to spin in slow motion and suddenly he’s being dragged to stand before the airlock. Sam is yelling after him, tearing his grip from Jess and pushing through the guards.

“NO!” Sam gets whacked on the back of the head with a baton and is forced onto his knees, struggling and watching. Dean glances up, making eye contact with Ellen. No, the _Chancellor_. She slowly makes her way over to Dean and stands before him.

“You’re lucky, boy.” Ellen tightens her jaw, closes her eyes and lets out a deep breath, “Dean. Listen to me.” She lowers her voice, “You will not be floated.” _What?_ “…What had to be done needed to be done, and Mary made me promise her one thing.” Pain flashes briefly across her face at the mention of his mum, “You will live Dean. You will participate in a very important project which will require your skills and assistance. Tomorrow, you and a hundred of others – including your brother Sam – will be placed on a dropship and sent to Earth. The majority are under the age of 18, however exceptions have been made. If the Earth is survival, if radiation has lowered enough for humans to survive, if you all live tomorrow and for weeks after, then The Ark can return home. You know what’s happening around here, and we cannot let the masses know; chaos, panic, terror… that cannot happen. This project shouldn’t be happening for another one hundred years, but it seems our predecessors misjudged our time. You hundred are our only hope… and I wish you luck on your journey.”

Ellen turns to leave, waving a hand to dismiss the council members and Ark guards. Once the room is empty Dean falls to his knees once more. Sam rushes over to him and grabs his shoulders, Jess standing not too far behind.

“Dean? Dean…? Dean!”

“S-Sammy…”

“Oh my God, you’re okay. Dean, you’re alive!” He cries, hugging his brother.

“Mum! Mum she… she…”

“I know, Dean…” Dean hugs his brother back and cries in his shoulder. A few minutes later Sam pulls back and stares into his brother’s eyes. “…What happened…?”

He looks up at Sam, frightened and voice small, “We’re going to the ground Sammy. Home.”

\---


	2. THE EARTH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fast update, I know. But I'm currently on holidays and have nothing else to do. When things get busy for me I'll update on a regular weekly basis. For now I'm just going to enjoy writing in my free time (and I have a lot of free time atm).
> 
> I apologise for any mistakes.  
> Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 2: THE EARTH**

The first thing Dean notices is that he’s not in his home. He’s not at Sam’s place and he’s most definitely not at the ‘Floating Gate’. Just thinking about that makes his body shiver and heart clench in pain. His mum’s dead, his dad’s probably hanging around his fellow stuck up council members, and his brother Sam is sitting directly across from him.

“Sammy?” He leans forward, only to find that he’s sitting in a seat, restricted in his movements since there’s a large sturdy buckle around his stomach. On top of that are restraints, including a lapbar and an over-the-shoulder that locks him in even more. Sam has one too on his seat, and now that he looks around he can see people his age and younger in the same situation. They’re all lined up against a wall which curves around, making Dean unable to see the rows of people that are further ahead. If Dean didn’t know any better, he’d say that he’s on the dropship.

“Hey Dean. You’ve been quite out of it for a while…” Sam sadly smiles, “It’s good to have you back.”

“How long have I…? What’s happening right now? We haven’t left yet have we?”

Sam shakes his head. “No we haven’t left. They filed us on here about an hour ago. I’m not surprised that you don’t remember anything; you were pretty… pretty affected by… yeah. But after mum, uh…” he sniffs and looks up to stop his eyes from watering, “…you were in shock and closed off all night and until now, I guess. So yeah…”

“Oh.” Dean blinks in surprise; he must’ve really been out of it. “Where’s Jess?”

Sam looks at Dean before tilting his head to the side. “She’s not in this area. On the other side I think.”

He looks over to find Jess but can’t see her. Though he does recognise a few faces scattered across the rows. There’s Kevin, Charlie, Ash and even Bela. If Dean looks in the other direction, he can see Garth, Lisa and… and Jo; Ellen’s daughter. He shouldn’t harbor any ill feelings towards Jo since it’s not like she can help that her mum’s the Chancellor, but it still hurts to look at her knowing that Ellen took away his mum. It really hurts and now he can understand why Jo receives a lot of hate from people who lost a parent too.

He tears his gaze away from Jo and looks at Sam. His brother knows what he’s thinking and has a sad look in his eyes.

“It wasn’t her fault Dean.”

“Yeah, I know.”

In the distance he can hear a large door opening and footsteps. Ark guards walk around and check each person to make sure they’re locked in place and are secure. After that they leave and the door closes once more. A voice on a speaker – Ellen, he recognises – begins to talk. He can see Jo’s face in the distance, determined to fill her duty yet filled with pain at the thought of leaving her home.

_“Citizens of The Ark, our youth, we applaud you for taking part in this project. All one hundred of you have been selected carefully as we believe you have the right skills to survive and live on the Earth; that is, if it is survivable and radiation levels have fallen enough… Though with our calculations we believe that radiation is no longer a threat. And so, your mission here is critical to the survival of The Ark to test this. On this dropship I have placed an Ark guard to protect you all and maintain order. The Ark will maintain contact with you if you are all successful in making it to the ground… My children, I wish you luck.”_

A random voice calls out. “Bullshit! She’s thrown all of the rebels in here! The kids locked up in cells! The ‘criminals’! I didn’t do shit! I don’t deserve to die! I took some medicine for my mother and this happens!”

“Hey, shut up!” there’s a loud clang as a guard whacks his weapon against the wall. The kid stops speaking and the guard sits down in a spare seat and buckles himself in. “Everyone, you are to remain seated the whole time or there will be consequences!”

This time a male robotic voice fills the room, stating that the dropship will depart in thirty seconds. A countdown begins and Dean meets Sam’s gaze with a crooked smile.

“Sam, if we don’t make this I wanna tell you that you’re the best annoying thing in my life.”

His brother smiles, albeit nervous, “…you too Dean. I love you too.”

When the countdown nears fifteen the dropship begins to rattle strongly as the outer structures holding it in place begin to detach themselves. Before he knows it, the countdown’s finished and it feels like the air has been sucked out of his lungs. They’re dropping and gradually gaining speed the further they move towards the Earth.

“Dean! Calm down! You can do this Dean!” Sam yells over the deafening noise.

He tries to listen to Sam and calm down by squeezing his eyes shut and taking deep breaths. His knuckles are white as they grip the seat tightly and his head is pressed back. There is no way in hell he’s ever doing this again. Living in a space ship? That’s fine. At least on there he’s not falling at a pace that’s going to reach terminal velocity. _Oh God that makes him feel so much more worse._

**_BANG!_ **

The dropship hits the Earth’s outer atmosphere and everyone screams, startled. A few seconds later there’s an even louder bang and a stronger thrust. Everything begins to rattle and shake erratically.  Lights flicker and alarms wail.

Everything goes black.

\---

When Dean comes to he has to blink a few times for his vision to focus. Everything’s sideways until he lifts his head up, groaning in pain. It’s like a hangover but a hundred times worse. Scratch that; a thousand. Guess crashing a dropship can do that to you.

Sam and quite a few other people around him begin to stir and wake up, blinking in confusion just like he had done. They unbuckle their seats, push up their restraints and slowly stand up. Dean does the same and helps Sam balance by holding his arms.

“Hey Sammy, you ok?”

“Uh yeah… I’m fine, let’s just go find Jess.”

They both stumble slightly as they walk through the dropship. By now most people are standing and are looking lost on what to do, so they simply find the people they know. The Ark Guard is still unconscious and probably will be for a long while; he’s hit the corner of his head on a bar and is bleeding. At the moment that seems like a really good thing since they have a bit of freedom to adjust and roam.

Jess is not too far off in the distance and is chatting to someone with bright red hair; Charlie. The girls both turn around when they hear Sam call out to them and run over.

“Jess! Are you okay?” He grabs her face and turns it, finding a large bruise near her temple.

“I’m alright Sam! Just a bit bumped up.” She smiles, then looks over to Dean, “I see you two are fine as well.”

“I’m surprised my insides didn’t become outsides to be honest.” Dean says. Charlie snorts at that and speaks.

“Hey, I think this is pretty cool, you know? Freedom! …Well, almost,” Charlie smiles and holds up her left wrist, “…not with these bad boys on our arms.”

Dean looks down at his arm and notices that he has a metal wristband as well. Huh. He didn’t notice it before, but he knows for sure that The Ark put it there.

He looks up at everyone and speaks, “A tracking device on our wrists. Great-”

“-And a monitor that records our heartrate,” Charlie interrupts. “What? I’ve made a few of these before,” she shrugs, “and as long as we have these on The Ark knows we’re alive and kicking. Even where we’re located.”

“And you think that’s a bad thing?” Sam questions, “They said we’re here so The Ark can survive, whatever that means? So it must be important; you heard them.” He turns to Dean for support.

Dean purses his lips and frowns at Sam. His brother still doesn’t know and that probably goes for everyone else on this dropship. “Sammy-”

“What Dean? Why’re you looking at me like that? You can’t seriously agree, right?”

He lets out a shaky breath, “I know why we’re here, Sam.” _And everyone needs to know._

“…Dean? What do you-?”

“Hey! Everyone!” He yells and stands on a seat, towering above. Some people stop talking and moving, directing their attention to Dean. Others continue to move and glance up at him and murmur.

“If you want to know what’s going on then listen to me!” That got everyone’s attention. “Yesterday I found out that The Ark had only three months left of oxygen!  The council refused to tell anyone and were keeping it under wraps. Because they were out of solutions they decided to send us down to the ground to see if we can survive. My best guess is that if there’s no radiation, we live. If we live, then The Ark comes to the ground and they live as well … Whether we’re lucky or not, I don’t know. For all we know the radiation behind _that_ door over there can kill us.”

Charlie stands up next to Dean and begins to talk, “We’re not on our own! See this,” she points to her wrist and holds it up high, “as long as we wear this The Ark knows we’re alive! They can track us, read our heart rate, and find out whether or not the ground is survivable!”

A voice calls out, “Well take them off! Fuck The Ark if they want us dead!”

“No!” Sam yells and turns around to face everyone, “If we take these off then they’ll think we’re dead! The council may have screwed us over but there are innocent families up there, children! If we live then those people deserve a chance too!”

Another voice calls out, “My family’s already dead! That bitch’s mum killed them!” they point at Jo.

“Hey!” Dean yells, “Jo didn’t do shit, okay! She’s not her mum. She’s not the Chancellor so shut up!”

“And what would you know!” Everyone murmurs between themselves and there’s a muffled _“Yeah!”_

“What would I-? What would _I_ know?” he scoffs, “My mother died trying to save your asses; to tell the truth. I watched her get floated yesterday so don’t give me that shit! She died trying to save me and I’ll be damned if I don’t try to live in her honour! So for now we…” he looks over at Sam. _God damn his puppy eyes,_ “…we leave the stupid bracelets on, okay!?”

Dean jumps down and everyone begins their own conversations once more. Sam pulls on his arm and looks him in the eye, pain evident, “…You knew about mum…? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Sammy I’m sorry… I only just found out and dad he… he – shit – I think he turned mum in… they made me promise not to tell you and God Sam I’m so sorry…”

Sam chokes out a small sob and falters back against the wall. Jess holds onto him, keeping him steady as he processes what he had just learnt. It hurts to see his little brother like this but there’s nothing he can do about it. Nothing at all… They all stand there in silence – Dean, Jess and Charlie – until Sam stands up with a hardened look on his face. He moves over and hugs Dean, muttering; “You’re right Dean… If mum died for us, then we’re not going to let her efforts go to waste.”

Dean watches him let go and stand up on the seat where he had been.

“Everyone! Hey, I mean everyone! … _Finally_ … Okay, thank you! Look, we can’t stay here all day; we’ll either starve to death or run out of fresh air. The only thing we can do now is to walk through that door.”

A guy called Ash pipes up, “… That’s cool n’ all, but what’re we going to do with this guy?” he gestures towards the unconscious Ark Guard.

“Tie him up!” Charlie yells.

Sam frowns, “What? No! We can’t do that!” he thinks for a second, “…You know what, sure. Fine. Whatever. Tie him up.”

“Roger that!” Jo calls out and salutes, finding a rope laying around to tie the guard up with.

“So what now, captain?” Jess jokes and smiles up at Sam. He thinks for a moment before finally responding.

“We go outside.”

Everyone cheers and they all make their way over to the large door. Silence falls between them all as they stand before it, not daring to be the one to open it or the first to walk out.

“Ugh, wusses.” Jo says. She walks over to the lever next to the door and places her hand on it, “So who’s gonna be first?”

“Oh! Oh! Me!” Charlie calls out and stands before the door. Jo pulls the lever down and the door creaks, slowly opening before the weight becomes too much and falls quickly with a loud thud. Fresh air and light rushes in and the colour green booms in abundance. Everyone stands there agape, not daring to breathe as they watch Charlie slowly walk out. Step by step, Charlie walks across the door that acts as a little bridge. She finally reaches the end, only a step away from the ground before she turns around and watches everyone’s shocked faces. With one small leap, she jumps onto the ground and laughs.

“First human on the ground in 97 years, bitches!” hands thrown into the air, she yells and runs forward, “WOO!”

The people snap out of their stupor and cheer, running out onto the grass and spreading out in a stride of excitement.

Dean just stands there amazed, taking in the scenery before him. He’s never seen so much green before. There are plants, actual living plants. Sure, he’s seen algae and that weird little bonsai tree the religious fanatics on The Ark worship, but this – this is different. They’re in a forest, surrounded completely by nature; by large, tall pine trees. The sky is clear, a calm pastel blue that Dean’s only ever seen in a textbook and _damn…_ who knew that it would feel so good to look at. And _oh my God_ there are some clouds in the sky. Actual white, fluffy clouds. It all feels so surreal. The air is so fresh and clean that he breathes in deeply and exhales. No matter how many times he scans the area before him he still remains amazed.

The area is pretty open, large enough for a hundred people to hang out in, and there are large rocks scattered about.  How they’re going to live, Dean doesn’t know, but he’s read enough survival books to understand the basics. But what amazes him the most is that he’s still alive and breathing; the radiation – if there is any (not that he can tell by breathing) – hasn’t killed him yet, and that’s really good. Like _great_ good. But if he’s alive and there are plants, then fuck knows what else is out there, and that’s a thought he doesn’t want to think about at the moment. Right now, Dean just wants to enjoy this overwhelming sensation of freedom, hope and happiness.

Sam walks up beside him and places his hand on his shoulder, “We’re alive, Dean. We did it.”

“…Yeah, we did.”

“So… Want to know what grass feels like?”

“Fuck yeah.”

They walk off the dropship together and wander around. Dean might look like an idiot at the moment, but he doesn’t care. He’s leaning over and touching grass and it’s the coolest and weirdest feeling; smooth yet rough. Sam just has this amused look on his face as he watches Dean and damn, he knows his brother will never let him live this down.

“I didn’t mean it like that Dean, but sure whatever.” he laughs.

“What? Let me have this moment, okay?”

“Whatever you say.” Sam raises his arms in surrender and heads over to Jess and a group of people. Dean stands up and brushes his hands on his jeans, intent on following but gets interrupted on the way by Jo. She looks a bit awkward but speaks up nonetheless.

“Thank you.” She says.

“Uhh, What?”

“I said thank you, you know, for sticking up for me before.”

“Oh, uh you’re welcome.” he scratches the back of his neck, “It was nothing, really. I’d do that for anyone who didn’t deserve that shit.”

“…” Jo looks down at her feet, making him raise his eyebrows in response.

“Why’re you silent now? You can’t seriously be thinking that it’s your fault? Shit, Jo, don’t be like that.”

“I know! I know… I just, all of those people. Dead. I know that it’s mum’s job and she needs to be tough but, the things people get punished for it’s… it’s wrong.”

“Yeah, it is…”

“And I’m sorry,”

“For what?”

“Your mum.”

“Oh. Yeah… That wasn’t your fault so don’t apologise. Only my dad…” he clenches his jaw, “… _John_ , is to blame for that.”

“She didn’t deserve it.”

“No she didn’t.”

“…”

Dean lets out a deep breath, “Look I’d rather not be talking about this at the moment. It makes me a bit uncomfortable, so yeah.”

“Yeah alright, sorry.” She looks up and smiles a little, “But still, thanks Dean. I appreciate it. It’s nice to have a friend around here.”

“No problem.”

Jo spins on her heels and walks off, blond hair swaying in the breeze.

He continues to walk over to Sam, weaving through the people who block his path, and casually waves when he’s noticed. Jess calls out to him and gestures for him to join the group. They’re all sitting down next to a large rock, chatting away and only stopping the conversation when he approaches. Sam pats the empty space next to him and he sits down, looking around.

“Hi Dean,” Jess smiles, “I’m sure you recognise a few people here but I’m going to introduce you to them. They’re actually all really cool and I’m surprised we haven’t all fully met before. But I guess since we’re all varying in ages we belonged to different social groups. No matter.”

“Yeah sure.”

Jess begins in a circle, starting from left to right and pointing, introducing face by face. “So first of all guys, this is Dean. He’s twenty four, annoying, but I love him since he’s cool and my boyfriend’s brother.” The group laughs, “Okay, first! This is Kevin Tran, an incredibly smart genius at the age of seventeen. He specialises in… uh…”

“Coding, languages, medicine.”

“Yeah, that! What Kevin said! Though he’s really good at everything. Next we have Charlie, who you already know-”

“Yup, I’m awesome, twenty two, a huge Star Wars fan and mega nerd lover of anything remotely related to technology. Who’s next!”

Jess just shakes her head and smiles, leaning back against the rock and letting everyone else introduce themselves.

“I’m Benny. It’s nice to meet you Dean,” he leans over with his hand. Dean shakes it and smiles, letting Benny continue his introduction. “I’m twenty four as well and am from station four.”

That has Dean’s eyebrows raised; ‘ _station four?’_ he thinks. Guess The Ark went all out when choosing candidates. Everybody Dean knows is from station 2, the one he lives on.

“Garth.” A small voice pipes up and he glances over to find a goofy looking guy with big ears and a big smile, “It’s nice to meet you Dean. I’m twenty two years old.”

“And I’m Becky! Eighteen years old and a lover of anything fiction, gay, fun and fiction!”

“Oookay loser, we get it.” A girl with light brown hair crosses her arms and looks at Dean, “Twenty one, an astronaut, and awesome. Next?”

“I’m Ash; a pretty cool twenty five year old and software developing genius. And you know what I say?” He brushes a hand through his mullet and smirks, “…Business up the front and party in the back."

Dean shakes his head and laughs. _What a weird dude._ There’s one more person to introduce in the group and that’s an attractive tanned girl with dark brown hair.

“Lisa,” she says and smiles, “I’m twenty three and a yoga instructor – well, former at least.”

He nods at that and Jess claps her hands together, “So! That’s everyone in this little circle. So, Dean, what do you think?”

“Pretty cool. They all seem awesome to me.” The group smiles at his response and Bela just shrugs. Dean could get use to this, making friends and just enjoying a laid back atmosphere. It’s nice and he wonders why he never did this before; socialise, he means. But other than that, it’s nice.

He glances up at the sky and notices that the light blue from before has faded into a warm yellowish colour in one corner. _‘That must be West’_ he thinks, remembering learnt information, _‘The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.’_

He stands up and the group follows. They chat for a while more before Ash interrupts the conversation with “I’m really hungry, dudes. Where’s the food at?” Everyone agrees and they ponder for a bit until Sam says something about possible food rations in the upper section of the dropship. Dean yells out to everyone in the area for their assistance and they all set to helping.

Inside the dropship is a ladder that leads up to a vault door. Pushing that open reveals an upper area – and Sam was right – the compartments in the walls hold food rations; plenty of it in fact. There’s enough to last them a few days or so. They all unpack it, creating a long line where they pass stuff down and outside. Once everyone’s got a ration, they eat, setting up little campfires here and there with the help of people who actually bothered to study _wildness skills_ in school. Not many people bothered learning it, since no one expected to actually go to Earth for another one hundred years or so.

Dean heads back up the dropship and continues searching all the compartments, finding tents and bits and bobs packed away.

Before night falls most people have a tent set up. Since there isn’t enough for all one hundred of them (and not nearly enough space in the area they’re camping out in) they share with two or three people per tent. Couples like Sam and Jess ended up with their own tent whereas Dean ended up sharing with Charlie. And he doesn’t mind at all, she’s really awesome and he’d rather her than that weird Ash dude or stuck up bitch Bela. Plus, Charlie’s a lesbian so the chances of anything being awkward are close to none, and they have a little bonding time and get to know each other. Dean discovers that Charlie is really intelligent (as if that wasn’t obvious) and that she’s hacked plenty of shit before (and gotten away with it, to his relief). Charlie learns that Dean’s bisexual and is completely cool with that and full on fangirls when she finds out that he’s also a huge lover of Star Wars. So yeah, he got lucky with his roommate.

It’s now late into the night when he exits his tent and leaves Charlie alone, letting her sleep while he explores a bit. There are only a few people running around, he notes, and there are some people simply sitting about to chat with others. In the distance and around his tent he sees that some fires are still burning, providing some light other than the stars above. And God those stars are a sight to see; small bright lights twinkling and painting the midnight sky. It just astonishes him how much beauty there is on the ground.

When he scans the area he also notices some people running in and out of the forest, laughing as the thrill of freedom and adventure overtakes them. As much as that seems like fun, Dean frowns. They don’t know what’s out there yet and he doesn’t exactly want to find out when it’s dark and they’re vulnerable, so he walks over there and tells the people that haven’t gotten lost yet to be wary and stay here for now. It’s safer to explore in the daylight and that’s something everyone seems to agree on.

There’s just so much going on at the moment and Dean doesn’t know what to think, so he sits down near a rock that’s close by and gets lost in his thoughts for a while. He wonders if from here he can see The Ark. Maybe it’s a bright light in the sky like the stars? Wherever it is, it’s there, and Dean’s heart sympathises with the people up there; the people who are being deceived. He knows that soon The Ark will come down, seeing as how everyone is still wearing the bracelet things on their wrists. They’re alive and kicking, and that’s enough to let the others know that they’re safe. Well, as ‘safe’ as they can be at the moment.

Mum’s gone and that thought alone makes Dean hurt. Maybe if he closes his eyes he can imagine her here, embracing him and telling him that everything will be alright. He hopes it will, but lord knows what’ll happen in the next twenty four hours. They’re on their own now, and the rations they have won’t last for long. They’ll need to hunt, to build, to collect water and to set up whatever barriers and defenses they can with the resources and materials they have.

He heads back to his tent and lies down next to Charlie. At least he’s not alone. At least right now he still has Sam, Jess, Charlie and everyone else. At least for now he’s safe.

With that last final thought, Dean closes his eyes and falls asleep.


	3. TROUBLE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First section is on The Ark. Second is back on the ground. ^_^ Not that that needs clarifying. If you want to skip The Ark part, go ahead, but you'll miss out on some information and building tension; you won't miss out on much, I guess.. (I feel like it was poorly written *sobs*)  
> Also, The Ark bit is set a few hours ahead in the future from Dean's POV in this chapter. Does that makes sense? Eh, it will.
> 
> Apologies for any mistakes. :/
> 
> Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 3: TROUBLE**

“ _ELLEN!_ ” John roars, slamming the door open and storming into the room. He quickly locates the woman with his eyes and makes his way towards her. They’re in a large room with a wide glass desk in the centre. Towards the front are several glass computers where workers sit, busy monitoring information and purposely ignoring John’s rage. At the very front is Ellen who is facing a large wall covered and made up of smaller screens. Faces of young adolescents are presented with personal information such as age, height, heart rate and location.

Ellen turns arounds at the sound of her name being yelled and casts a steady, emotionless look at John. That only infuriates the man more and he rushes towards her, barely restraining his anger to hit her. Two Ark guards, however, grab him and hold him back before he can lash out.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?” He yells, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?”

Ellen steps forward towards him, standing only a few feet away. “I did what I had to do John.”

“What!? Had to do!? Bullshit!” He sobs, going limp in the Ark guards’ hold. “You killed her! You took Mary away from me! YOU TOOK HER!”

“I HAD NO CHOICE!” She yells, then slowly breathes out to steady herself, “She asked me to do it.”

“What?”

“She came to see me a few days ago. There was nothing I could do about it.”

“Lies!” He cries. Mary would never do that to him, to his boys…

“Well she did, and you’re not the only one hurting John! So snap out of it! I am the Chancellor and I did what I must as a friend and a leader. You’re a part of the council so act like it! _Drinking_ like this cannot be tolerated and you’re lucky I’m not kicking your ass to the curb for disrespecting me.”

“…” John begins to shake as he closes his eyes, jaw tense, “What… happened…?”

Ellen closes her eyes and sighs, “She claimed that she had news that would cause utter chaos among The Ark and said she would only tell me what if she made me promise one thing... So I gave her my word, I made a promise as a friend. She said to me: ‘Promise me you’ll take me boys. Place them on the dropship with everyone else’… She told me what she had planned to do John; _tell everyone!_ She said Dean knew and stated that he would tell everyone if she couldn’t… I couldn’t risk it, and I knew that once that woman sets her mind on something she’ll carry it out. I saw that look in her eyes and she offered to be floated as her punishment. So I agreed. I put Dean and Sam on the dropship. Dean was a risk if I left him behind and I couldn’t take him away too. I couldn’t separate him and Sam. I couldn’t say no, John. I just _couldn’t_.”

The Ark guards let go of John and he just stands there, head lowered in defeat. Of course Mary would do this. She’d do anything to protect those boys, defend her honour, anything… She must’ve put two and two together and, since she learnt about the project from when she was on the council, figured that with three months left the project would be forced to proceed.

When he speaks up his voice is weak and barely a whisper, “…And what do I do now? She’s gone… Everything’s… gone…”

“No John. You still have your boys.” Ellen waits for John to look up at her before gesturing towards the wall she was previously standing in front of. Towards the middle are two pictures with Sam and Dean’s faces on it. Beneath the pictures is writing that says ‘ _status: alive’_.

His boys are alive. They’re _alive._ And right now they need him more than anything. He lets out a shaky breath.

“Tell me, what do I do?”

“Well for starters you can sit your ass down over there. You drank shit loads over the last few days and have missed out on everything. So sober up and let me explain.”

He nods.

“See this here?” She walks over to the screen and points, “This means they’re alive. We have heart rate and location, enough to let us know what’s going on. Everything seems fine so far - despite the bumpy travel on the way - and since all levels of heart rates across the board are in the average we can assume our kids are safe. The Ark guard we sent with them is also fine, and because of this we can know that things are running smoothly. And you know what that means John? The Earth is survivable.”

Wait, _What?_

John laughs. They’re going to live. The Ark’s going to survive.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re leaving any time soon. Radiation levels are still unknown. For all we know, it could slowly be killing ‘em. Maybe it’s not high enough to shut down their bodies straight away, but there’s a good possibility that it’s not low enough. But at this rate it seems completely safe. For the next week we’ll be monitoring them and if they’re alive by then, we’ll be coming to the ground. I just pray that I’m right and that they’ll be fine…”

“Well either way they’re okay, right? Every single kid on there is alive! The Ark will survive!”

“Yes, but you know that’s not entirely the case.”

“Fuck,” he curses, remembering a very important fact, “The Ark only has enough pods for five hundred people.”

“Exactly. Only a fifth of people – and that’s when rounded to the nearest number – can go to the ground.”

He rubs a hand over his face, “So what do you suggest we do?”

“I honestly don’t know… But what I do know is that we need to prioritise the type of people who get on those pods. Farmers, mechanics, nurses and doctors, women and children, our soldiers; these are the types of people we need to take with us to the ground if we want to live and form a stable community.”

John nods. That seems like the best and only option for now.

A man sitting at a computer turns around and addresses Ellen, “Excuse me, Chancellor, but it seems that we have a problem…”

Ellen turns away from John and looks at the man. The system begins beeping and the faces of three kids on the screen start flashing red. The word ‘Error’ pops up and blocks their pictures.

“What’s going on!?” She yells, despite fully understanding the situation herself, and rushes over to the large screen to stare up at it. ‘ _No, this can’t be happening’_ she thinks.

“The heart rates of three kids have elevated and increased significantly above the average limit!”

“Who are they? Tell me their names!”

“We’ve identified it to be Madison Wolf, Edgar Levis and…”

“-And who!?”

“Joanna Harvelle, miss.”

Ellen staggers back towards a desk, hands reaching out to catch herself as she feels her world crumble. Her baby girl is in danger and there’s nothing she can do. She can only sit from afar and pray that everything will be alright. That Jo will survive whatever challenges await her. But the most painful thing about this situation is knowing that _she_ placed Jo on that dropship. Even if it was necessary it doesn’t change the fact that Jo’s far away from home and the safety of Ellen’s arms.

The heart rates of all three adolescents continues to rise at an unhealthy pace, steadily climbing with the tension in the room.

_Beeeep._

Someone’s heart rate stopped completely. Madison Wolf, Ellen recognises, is the first to go. Her picture on the screen dims and a large red cross covers her face, indicating that this child is theoretically dead. A few seconds later there’s another beep and Edgar Levis’ signal drops out as well.

“This isn’t good.” John says.

“No fucking shit.” Ellen snaps at the man while keeping her eyes glued on Jo’s face. She’s never been this scared in her life, scared for her daughter’s wellbeing. Because at this rate, Ellen’s steadily losing hope as she recognises a pattern between the three; their heart rates picked up at the same time, their locations revealed they were all running at a fast pace, and two out of three have been lost. Soon it could be all three and that’s the last thing she wants. So far, two are supposedly dead and ninety eight are still alive. One can only hope that it stays that way.

“Come on baby girl… please…” She closes her eyes and breathes out shakily. “I believe in you so don’t you die on me now…”

_...Beeeep._

***

Somehow, Dean and Sam managed to be the ‘leaders’ of the camp and although that was something they both didn’t want they didn’t complain. It honestly seemed necessary since no one else was stepping up and without someone to manage how they act the group would most certainly be lounging around 24/7. Even a few fights between some guys had occurred and guess who broke that up? Sam and him. So yeah, he and his brother ended up being role models for the whole group, and as much as he hates it he doesn’t mind. Having a leader gives a calm sense of stability and that’s something the group needs. So everything’s fine as long as people don’t give him shit.

But then there are still problems such as Dean’s current hunger that twists painfully in his gut. If he weren’t so busy right now he’d drop everything he’s doing and go satisfy that annoying grumble, however other things such as rations running low and no defense barrier are more important and need to be sorted out by lunch time.

Dean gathers some people to go explore the woods with so that they can hopefully find something edible and drinkable. Weapons would also be nice to find but he seriously doubts there’ll be guns and knives lying around among the trees, therefore a few people back at camp are responsible for carving spears. Luckily for Dean he got dibs on the gun the Ark guard was carrying; which was, of course, a perk of being a leader _._ On that note, the guard is still tied up, safe, fed and on the dropship. Dean honestly doesn’t know what to do with the guy but letting him go isn’t an option, not with the risk that the dude may fight them for control.

Dean’s about to leave to explore when Sam offers to stay behind and run the camp. Although that sucks a bit he understands and agrees. They really need someone there while Dean’s gone.

Dean and the people he selected, which includes Jo, Benny, Garth and two other people, leave camp and wander into the thickness of the forest. The view is completely different from where their camp is since the further they wander the thicker it gets. There are trees everywhere which are so tall Dean can hardly see the sky, only seeing rays of light shine through the gaps of green leaves. Moss covers the base of most trees and there are plants everywhere. Though the majority of plants he sees are unrecognisable and completely different from the textbooks. When he looks to his left he can see tall plant stems that grow blue glowing flowers. It’s so captivating that he wants to touch it but thinks better of the action. For all he knows that beauty could be poisonous and he sure as hell isn’t gonna test that theory.

They all continue to walk around, taking in the sights whilst still on the lookout for an animal. When thirty minutes pass and they still haven’t found anything (or at least anything large enough to eat), they split up into twos and widen their searches, staying in hearing range of each other. Dean ends up walking with Jo and they continue to search, chatting a bit on the way.

“This is amazing,” Jo says as she scans the forest, “It’s so unreal, unlike anything I’ve seen before… I just, _wow._ ”

“Yeah, it is.” he says, taking in the view as well. Nothing can compare to this experience, this freedom, this world. The Ark was dull, white and suffocating despite how large and open it was. The ground is everything he dreamt of and in the end he’s glad he made it here. He’s lucky.

“Hey Dean, look! Over _there._ ” she points and he follows the line of movement. Sitting on the base of a tree is a bright orange buttery with blue spots on its wings that glow. “Amazing.” Jo whispers. She moves closer to it and bends down to get a closer look. The butterfly flutters its wings a bit before flying when Jo leans in too close. “ _Shit!”_

She chases after it, completely distracted. Dean tries calling her back but fails since he’s clearly not as interesting as a glowing butterfly.

“Goddammit Jo!” he runs after her, losing sight of her for a few seconds before seeing her figure dash between the trees. “Jo!” He continues running, moving so fast that the scenery becomes a blur. When he finally reaches her he pants, leaning over to catch his breath. “Are you serious?” he puffs, “Something could’ve happened to you!”

“…”

“Uh, Jo?”

“Dean, come here.” Butterfly completely forgotten, she walks over to a small area where vines and moss grows. She bends down and places her hand on the ground, swiping it and looking back up at him with an amazed expression on her face. “Oh my God you have to check this out with me.”

He moves over to where she’s squatting, realising that beneath her isn’t the ground but thick steel. An entrance to be exact.

“It looks like a machine…? No wait, a bunker of some sort? Bomb shelter?” he guesses.

“Let’s go in it.” Jo looks up at him and smiles, “I’m going whether or not you are.” She stands up and kicks at the vines and moss, brushing it away so that she can open it. She grabs a handle, twisting it and pulling the vault open. Old air rushes out and she jumps in.

“Fine…” Dean mutters, following Jo anyway. With a _thud_ he lands, looking around and taking in the sight. He’s in a long room, well a _bunker_ , but a room nonetheless. There’s a desk, two single bends, a table, a sink and some cupboards. Jo’s leaning over the table and sorting through a pile of paper and random items, seemingly fascinated with whatever she’s reading. Dean, however, is fascinated with what he found on one of the beds. In his palm is a necklace that’s made out of a black plastic string and green gem. If Dean were a girl he’d call it pretty, but since he’s not he’ll stick with ‘cool’. Yeah, the necklace looks really cool.

“Watcha got?” Jo looks over his shoulder. “Oh, that’s really nice. Kinda your style, you know? No fancy chains or anything. Wait, oh! I think I know that gem… uh…” she thinks. “Remember… The textbook said…uh.. _.”_ She purses her lips and tilts her head. “That’s right! Peridot! That’s peridot.”

“Well aren’t you smart. Didn’t take Jo as the type to read.”

“Hey, I read a lot thank you very much. Mum loves reading about minerals and all that stuff so she shows me things.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Ugh whatever. It’s pretty though. Peridot kind of reminds me of your eyes. I mean, the shades not exactly the same but it’s still green and has a tinge of gold; like yours. You should keep it.”

“Thanks.” Dean shrugs. He stares at it a bit more before placing it around his neck. It makes him feel a bit guilty since it’s not his, but he doubts anyone's actually owned it for the past God knows how many years.

“That’s right! Hey Dean, I wanted to show you this.” She grabs his arm and pulls him over to the table, pointing at a piece of paper. “See this? Pages ripped out from a guy’s journal; David S or someone, I don’t know, but check it out. He and his two kids survived the nuclear thing. Of course, not for that long since being stuck in here drove them mad. But either way people _survived_ afterwards Dean. And look. This part here says he left to check if the air was safe. One of his kids ended up writing on the next page saying he never appeared again. Pretty horrible. God, the things people went through.”

“Damn. I couldn’t imagine.”

“Yeah, neither. Guess we’re really fucking lucky.”

“…” Dean sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “As much as that sucks, we still can’t stay here forever. I’ll check the cupboards over there and you the sink. You good?”

“Good.” Jo nods. Dean heads to his area and opens the cupboards, which happen to be really big, and by really big Dean means there’s a whole other compartment in there. Guns. There are loads of guns. There’s even a whole tub of ammo. And knives, both the short and long kind. Dean has no idea why the father kept this much shit but his kids must’ve been old then. The dude even prepared all of this before the war, like how the fuck did he get access to all of this? You know what, Dean doesn’t care, because right now he’s taking this shit back to camp. He’s gonna have to bring more people in their next search to this place to carry all of this back.

“Holy shit! Jo! Look!” He picks up a gun and raises it.

“Fuck yeah! Jackpot!” She woops. “We have weapons now. Actual weapons! No need for spears!

“Damn straight! I mean, we’ll still have to have spears since we can’t waste all of this ammo. Who knows if we’ll get this lucky again! Spears can be mainly used for hunting. We can even craft more spears easily with this amount of knives. We could even make bows n’ shit!” He digs through the pile, “Aw hell yeah! There’s a fucking sword too! Damn this dude was awesome!”

“And I can help check the ammo to see if there are any duds or not.” Jo suggests.

“I can help with that too. Though I didn’t think you’d know how to do that?”

“What? Just because I’m a girl?”

“Uh no, 's just I’ve never seen you around firearms and all that.”

“Well obviously you don’t know me well. Dad showed me all of that stuff.”

“Dad?”

“Bobby Singer.”

“Oh wow. I uh didn’t know he was your dad. Bobby’s my boss and, well, he’s like a father to me.”

“He’s a good man.” Jo smiles, “It’s a shame mum left him when she joined the council and became Chancellor. She believed her actions and decisions would be a burden and all that. Idiot.”

“Huh. And how come I never knew any of this? Bobby’s practically raised me since I was a kid. I’m surprised he never mentioned anything to me.”

“We never talk about it I guess.” She shrugs.

“I guess.”

Jo moves in front of Dean and grabs three guns, strapping two over her back and holding one in her hand. She grabs a blade and slips it into her pants and steps out of the way. Dean does the same, only except he carries three guns on his back since he’s broader than Jo. The guns they’re carrying can go to Benny and the others once they find them.

Dean moves the table beneath the opening they jumped down from and lets Jo climb out first before he follows. They shut the opening and cover it slightly with the thick moss, leaving some of it visible so they can find it again.

They wander around again, calling out to the others and getting a response from Benny somewhere in the far distance. Jo and Dean jog towards the direction Benny answered, reaching an opening between the trees that reveals a small cliff before them and a large stream. On the other side is more forest that climbs up a huge mountain. Before the stream is Benny and Garth. They’re crouching and feeling the water, even taking some sips with the bits they manage to gather with their hands.

“Hey!” Dean yells out to them. Jo waves and jumps down towards them as they turn around.

“You seriously need to try this water! So cold and fresh!” Garth smiles.

“He’s right, brother.” Benny calls out, moving out of the way so Jo and Dean can feel it.

“I’m sure it’s nice. _Damn_ it looks good and I’m fucking thirsty but I wouldn’t drink it yet. Don’t know what’s in it. Safe to collect it and boil it first.” Jo says and smacks Dean’s hands when he tries to drinks it. He yells out ‘ _Hey!’_ but doesn’t mind. Jo’s right.

Benny nods at that and directs his attention to the guns on their backs, “Where’d ya find those?”

“Jo and I found this shelter thing not too far away from here back in that direction. There were heaps of guns, knives, ammo and even swords in there.” He pulls off two guns from his back and hands them to Benny and Garth. Dean looks at Jo and holds out his hand. She gets the hint and takes a gun off her back and hands it to Dean so she can carry less.  

“Soooo... We found weapons and we found water. Any animals?” Jo asks and Benny and Garth just shake their heads.

Garth’s face cringes when he speaks, “Well, we did find an animal but I wouldn’t call it safe to eat. Benny and I saw this freaky ass rabbit with sort of two heads.” He shudders.

“Uh, _sort of_ two heads?” Dean shivers at the thought. “Like a head and half a head?”

“Pretty much.”

“Oh that’s nasty man. Definitely something we shouldn’t eat.”

Jo frowns, “Guess that means there’s still radiation. Not good, but at least it’s not affecting us… visibly at least. Or, hopefully there isn’t any radiation in this area at all and it’s just a mutation in the genes from its ancestors…”

“Yeah hopefully.” Garth says.

“Well since your animal hunting was a bust and we didn’t really see anything, have you heard from the others?” Dean asks.

“Madison and Edgar?” Benny thinks, “Actually yeah. We ran into them not to long ago. They said they found something – normal thank God – n’ left to return to camp. ‘Said they were gonna grab some spears n’ come back out to find it once we all get back.”

“We better go then. It’s probably past lunchtime, judging by the sun, and hunting in the dark is something we wanna avoid.” Dean says. They all agree and climb up the cliff and re-enter the forest. Jo leads the way and shows Benny and Garth the bunker. They all end up carrying more guns on their backs and stuffing their pockets full of ammo. Jo grabs a few more knives and gets them to carry some in their pockets that don't have ammo in it.

After that they finally make their way back, seeing the camp through the trees and stepping out into the small open area. Dean directs the others to carry the weapons and ammo into one of the large tents they built a table in. Jo said that she can sort out the ammo herself and safely pack everything, even going as far to say that she can sleep in there from now on so no one steals. He agrees and watches her walk off with Benny and Garth. Eventually he turns around and goes to find Sammy. Apparently someone saw him head into the dropship, so that’s where Dean goes.

“Hey Sammy? You in there?”

“Over here Dean.”

He follows Sam’s voice and finds him kneeling before the Ark guard. Awkward. It doesn’t look like the dude’s having a good time, and neither is Sam. His brother appears frustrated whereas the other is angry. Sure, he has good reason to be angry since he’s tied up (Dean wouldn’t _exactly_ say he’s a hostage) but they can’t trust the guy to not hurt them. He obviously wouldn’t be able to overthrow the group but Dean isn’t so sure that he wouldn’t try to at least hurt someone. Ark guards tend to be _too_ loyal to The Ark, even very aggressive; something Dean’s seen too many times.

“Just look… No matter how many times I explain it my answer is still going to be the same.” Sam sighs. “We’re not untying you until we’re certain you won’t hurt anyone. You’re on the ground now, not The Ark, so things are different. Things are being _run_ differently, and as long as they’re up there and you’re down here you’ll help us, work with us and abide by our rules. It’s about survival now, laws don’t exist here.”

“ _Fine.”_ The guard relents, even slumping against the wall. “I’ll suspend my duties for now… It’s not like I can control a hundred of you… But I promise you when The Ark arrives I will uphold my duty.”

“Awesome,” Dean claps his hands, “now we can all get along. Though if you try anything, _anything_ at all, you’re gone. We’re all we’ve got so don’t fuck up.”

The guard nods at that, remaining quiet as Sam unties the rope around the man’s hands, legs and pole.

“Sal Lassiter. That’s my name.” the man rubs his sore hands.

“Oh, well, behave Sal.”

“ _Dean._ ” Sam hisses. “What my brother means is that it’s good that you’re finally willing to join us. Thank you, Sal. It must be hard to be in this situation. It is for all of us.”

Sal doesn’t say anything, only nods. Dean rolls his eyes and tells him to go do something, make friends, help make the defense barrier or carry berries. The man nods a third time, stands up, and leaves. Dean only squints his eyes at that before turning to Sam.

“So how’d the search and hunt go?” his brother asks.

“Pretty good. Jo found a bunker with loads of guns and ammo. Shit that’ll last us months, even longer if we use it well. Heck, we’re gonna need at least half the camp or quite a few rounds of travelling to carry it all back. Luckily I’m smart and we’ll use baskets or buckets or whatever the girls have been making.” Dean smiles.

“And guys too, Dean. Guys can make baskets too.”

“Didn’t say they couldn’t.”

“Well, _anyways,_ that sounds really good. Awesome.” Sam smiles. “What about water?”

“Water is a yes. Benny and Garth found a stream a bit further from the bunker. Not too far a walk, well… _run_ … thirty minutes tops from here if you run? Maybe forty?”

“So four miles? Five?”

“Eh maybe. Not that great at estimation.”

“And food?”

“Nah, not yet. At least we have those berries and the last remaining bit of our rations. Seriously though, there was a freaky looking rabbit according to Garth. Two heads sort of bumped together. Freaky. There were even glowing butterflies n’ shit, really cool things out there Sam.”

“Mutations I’m guessing? We’re not showing any signs of radiation poisoning, so I assume that those are the effects of radiation from years, maybe decades back.”

“Huh, that’s what Jo said.”

“We’re still going to need to hunt Dean.”

“I know, that’s why I’m going to find Madison and Edgar after this. They came back early and said they’re waiting for me before they head off. They saw some animals and were planning to go back to find it. I think near the stream Benny found? Either way it was near there; most likely further along the stream.” Dean shrugs. “We’ll find out. Where’s Jess by the way?”

“She’s helping collect berries I think. I’m not sure, but we should focus on getting more food.”

Sam and him walk out of the dropship and head towards the large tent Jo’s in. Sam nods in approval at the guns and the pile of ammo, clapping Dean on the back and telling Jo she did awesome. They leave and Jo follows along. He really needs to find Madison and Edgar but instead finds Benny and Garth hanging together working on a basket. Apparently the girls asked for their help and Benny and Garth couldn’t say no. Sam shoots Dean a look but Dean knows what those two are up to. Smartasses. At least someone’ll be getting laid tonight.

One of the girls working on a basket says that she saw Madison near the berry section and Edgar working on the barrier. He quickly finds them and they all return to the middle, discussing what to do next for the hunt. They’ve still got quite a few hours of daylight but by now the afternoon is nearing night. They agree to get back before night time, even before the sun begins to set. Sam agrees to stay behind again, this time to keep an eye on Sal. Once more, that sucks, because Dean would really like to go hunt with Sam but what needs to be done must be done. Madison, Jo and Edgar all agree to head out first, each carrying one gun on their back and a spear in their hands. The gun is for emergencies, the spear for hunting. Dean makes sure they all get that in their heads before letting them walk out towards the trees and disappear from view.

Dean, Benny and Kevin – no Garth this time – all grab a gun and a spear. He feels really awkward carrying the wooden thing, but it’ll do. However before they can go he needs to do his rounds around the place, checking on everyone and making sure they’re doing everything. He sees Sam at one stage and even Charlie in another large tent trying to put together some gadget thing. With no idea as to what she’s doing, Dean just wishes her luck and leaves, heading back towards Benny and Kevin.

As they begin to walk towards the trees they hear a scream. The whole camp stops what they’re doing and looks in their direction. Dean yells at them to stay put, to gather their defenses and be cautious. He, Benny and Kevin run out, spear abandoned and gun in hand.

Dean recognises that scream. Jo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas will hopefully make an appearance soon :O idk when, but hopefully soon; next chapter or two?


	4. WE'RE NOT ALONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean, Benny and Kevin all head out on a mission to save their friends. Things quickly go south.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Violence and minor character death/s. 
> 
> Apologies for any mistakes!  
> Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 4: WE’RE NOT ALONE**

Dean’s never ran this fast in his life. Well, that’s a lie because there was this one time he almost got busted stealing shit. At first it seemed pretty harmless and he was young, but then he heard Ark guards approaching and almost shit himself. _Never_ _again_. Either way, his point is that he’s running just like back then; fast, desperate and without looking back.

He can feel his heart pound heavily. He can feel his muscles burn. He can feel the adrenaline kicking in. Fight or flight instincts; none of that matters. He needs to find Jo, to find Madison and Edgar, and with Kevin and Benny on his tail he’s confident that he can at least do that.

Benny yells out to him telling him to slow down. Dean doesn’t want to, he loathes the idea because somewhere among these trees his friends are in trouble; in _danger,_ but he thinks better of it and stops running. He's jumpy and his body is screaming to run whilst the adrenaline is still there, so he paces around and breathes to calm himself down.

When Benny and Kevin catch up to him they stand there catching their breaths as well.

“Dean, brother, I know you want to find them but we need to think this through.” Benny places his gun on his back, pats Dean on the shoulder and turns to Kevin. “If something is out there, something dangerous, then we need to be smart ‘bout this.”

Kevin nods, “I agree. Running around with guns blazing isn’t really going to help us. We need to be as stealthy as possible.”

“And I know how to track.” Benny adds.

“Yeah, yeah ok. You’re both right.” Dean says. “So what’s first? We head over to that stream you found Benny? Madison and Edgar saw the animal near there, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I say we head there. Chances are that I’ll be able to track them easier if we’re near there.”

“Alright.” They all nod and begin jogging, making their way through the forest.  With the help of familiar rocks and trees, they quickly figure out where they’re going and reach the stream. Dean’s about to walk through the opening between the trees down towards the stream when Benny places a hand on his chest to stop him.

“Careful brother. Whatever’s out there may see us in the open.”

“True,” Dean considers, “But we’re most likely dealing with an animal; a predator. If we’re in the open then we have a better chance of not being jumped. And if we’re lucky, Jo simply bumped her head.” Which isn’t likely at all. He’s never heard Jo scream like that, not even when she broke her arm back in school. But at least whatever’s prowling around can’t pounce from a tree behind them if they’re down there.

“Well I say scrap it. We have enough twigs to let us hear anythin’.”

“Whatever you say Benny, you’re the one tracking.” He backs away from the opening and turns to face the other, waiting for him to lead the way because right now they have nothing.

“…” Benny doesn’t say anything, instead he brushes past Dean and reaches up, grabbing a branch and pulling it down gently. “It’s snapped.” he says. “Something went through here, or someone. We need to follow the stream in that direction. Stay inside the trees.”

Kevin makes eye contact with Dean and shrugs, following after Benny. They all jog, even walking whenever Benny finds a print in the ground, a snapped twig or unusual markings in the environment. By now they’ve at least followed the stream along for half a mile. It’s still the afternoon, fortunately, but Dean doesn’t know for how long. He guesses that they have two hours of daylight left, maybe three.

“Shit.” Benny stops moving, dropping down to the ground to crouch. A troubled expression appears on his face as he looks at Kevin and Dean. “This doesn’t look good.”

He moves closer to see what Benny found. “What the fuck?” There’s blood smeared everywhere on the rock Benny’s found. At the top is a bloody handprint that’s slightly smudged, possibly from slipping.

“Hand’s too small to be a males. I’d say s’most likely a female.”

“Possibly Jo or Madison?” Kevin looks up with a scared expression on his face.

“Probably.” Dean’s scared, really scared. And angry.  He can feel so many emotions rising in his chest and he doesn’t know what to do other than clench his fists and feel them tremble. He’s knows he’s burning a hole in that rock, glaring at it like it’s somehow managed to offend him. But truth be told it has. The sight of that blood makes him bitter, and now he’s even more determined to win his friends back. “Let’s go.”

Benny leads once more, following the trail of blood. Kevin follows swiftly behind, quietly calling out _“Jo!”_ or _“Madison!”_ in hope of an answer. Dean just moves quietly, eyes wide open and gun ready in hand.

“Stop.” Benny whispers. There’s a small groan that can be heard in the distance. They follow the noise slowly and when they get close enough Dean realises that it’s Jo.

“Jo…? Jo!” He runs, jumping over rocks and roots. The trail of blood gets thicker and when Dean turns a corner he sees Jo inside a small opening at the bottom of a tree. He dumps his gun, trusting Benny and Kevin to have his back, and crawls into the hole. Jo’s slumped against the bark, hands holding her hip and eyes squeezed closed in pain. Her gun’s lying on the ground next to her. “Fuck, are you alright?”

“D-Dean?” She opens her eyes and shuffles, wincing in pain as she sits more upright. “Ha,” she laughs weakly. “Glad you’re here. I’m fine… it’s nothing serious, just looks bad.” Dean looks at her skeptically and peels her hands slowly away. As he’s doing so he notices that her metal wristband is missing. Jo said she was running and tripped – hence the mark on her forehead – and landed on the wristband. It broke during the collision and she took it off when she crawled under this tree. She shows him it. Dean just nods and assesses her wound on her hip; it’s a deep cut but nothing too serious.

“What happened? We heard you scream…”

Jo trembles and sobs. “You wouldn’t believe me. There were humans, like us. They… they attacked us, dropped from the trees and chased us. We ran Dean, we fucking ran for our lives. They had bows and arrows, blades and spears and…and… Madison she… an arrow went right through her fucking head!” Dean catches her as she leans into him and cries. “An arrow just missed me and grazed my hip. I kept running and found this place… I don’t where Edgar is. Fuck… It was terrifying!”

“Holy shit. Madison! _Fuck_!”

“…Yeah…”

“And real fucking people? Like tribal? The fuck! That means people survived the nuclear bomb, they _lived!_ Wait, are you sure?”

“No,” she glares, “I just _imagined_ the whole thing.”

Dean can’t believe it – for all this time The Ark believed that they were the only survivors, the last remnants of the human race, but the truth is that parts of humanity survived. They were wrong, and Dean would be ecstatic about that if only they weren’t being targeted by crazy tribal people who so happen to be those survivors. Grounders, he decides, is what he’ll call them.

“…What did they look like…?”

“Everything happened so fast so I didn’t see clearly but uh… they wore black. Some had these weird helmets, masks, I don’t know… They had black face paint on them as well…”

Dean rubs Jo’s back and hugs her tighter. Right now isn’t the moment to grieve a loss or get excited about discovering something astonishing. He needs to keep searching for Edgar and Madison’s body; they’re on a mission and he’s going to complete it.

Kevin ducks his head in and widens his eyes when he sees Jo. He looks at Dean and Dean just nods for Kevin to go back out. Before Kevin leaves he whispers that they’ll need to keep moving soon and that they’ll keep looking when they come out. Dean takes that as a good enough reason to pick up Jo’s metal wristband, her gun, and help her crawl out from under the tree.

When he’s out and standing, he hands the wristband to Kevin and he takes it without word, placing it in his pocket. Dean passes Jo her gun and then bends over to pick up his own.

Kevin hugs Jo and she winces, stumbling back a bit yet smiling. “Shit, Jo, you alright?”

“I’m fine now; my wound has stopped bleeding but oh my God I’m so glad to see you.” Kevin smiles at that and steps back.

“Glad yer’ alive Jo.” Benny briefly places his hand on Jo’s shoulder before speaking again. “Mind tellin’ us what happened?” Jo repeats everything she had explained to Dean, earning a few shocked expressions from Benny and Kevin.

“That’s amazing! I mean, humans actually survived the nuclear bomb! There are grounders – is that the term you used Dean? – living here!”

“Yeah… but as cool as that sounds, Kevin, it’s not such a good thing right now. Those sons of bitches injured Jo and killed Madison, and I don’t even wanna know what they’ve done to Edgar… if he’s still alive that is.”

Dean feels kind of bad for shutting Kevin down like that but they have enough time later to think about that. They need to move now if they want to find Madison and Edgar _and_ make it back home before dark. Dean says that last bit out loud and they set off without another word. Jo gives a few directions on where she last saw Madison and even though she won’t admit to being scared, he knows she is. Heck, he’s really worried and also thinks that returning to the ambush zone is a bad idea, but it won’t make a difference considering they’re in the same forest as the grounders anyways.

They know the exact moment they’ve reached the ambush zone when Jo chokes out a sob. She shakes her head and steels herself, moving up to where Madison’s body lies. Dean shudders, jaw tense as he sees the not so pretty sight before him. Madison’s on her side, limbs loose and face pale without life. Her mouth is open slightly and her eyes are glassy and empty. Between them is a hole where Dean assumes the arrow went through. The flesh around the hole is slightly torn and there is blood slowly leaking from it. Benny and Kevin are silent, heads bowed in respect as they watch him reach over and carefully close Madison’s eyes with the light touch of his fingers.

“I’ll carry her.” He places his arms underneath Madison’s limp body and lifts her. He clears his throat. “We’ll head back for now and I’ll come back to find Edgar. There’s not much we can do with an injured person and a dead body. Uh, yeah.” He sniffs. Dean Winchester does not cry. “She didn’t deserve this, but at least it was quick.”

They all head back to camp with a heavy silence surrounding them. When they finally make it back they step out of the trees into the small clearing before them. A person notices their arrival and yells out to alert everyone else. They’re all loud as they gather around to see what has happened, only to fall quiet when they see Dean carrying Madison’s body. Sam and Jess push through the crowd and run over to Dean, stopping in their tracks when they look down.

“Shit-” he looks up, “…Dean?”

He ignores Sam and yells out to the crowd. “Everyone… we are not alone! There are grounders here! Survivors of the nuclear explosion from 97 years ago! Their ancestors have lived and bred on this land and they have taken one of our own! Madison. And if I don’t go out there now we’ll have lost two; Edgar is still missing. So I ask of you, be prepared to protect yourselves. We are not safe. Nobody leaves this camp when I head back out again! You are to stay put and be on guard! Please resume your duties; we need that wall built! For now Sam’s in charge, and if I don’t return then it’ll remain that way!”

The crowd murmurs and some shocks, gasps, and cries can be heard. They break up anyways and continue what they were doing.

“Dean?” Sam grabs his shoulder, “What happened?”

“Jo’s group was attacked. Edgar’s missing and Madison’s dead.” He looks down at the body, staring before forcing himself to tear his eyes away. “Benny, could you take Madison for me?”

“Sure thing brother.”

“There’s a small area just outside the wall where you can bury her... It would be good if you got someone to help you; Garth or Ash probably.” Benny nods and takes Madison from his arms. He leaves.  “And Kevin, could you patch Jo up for me? Yeah, thanks bud.”

“Wait… actual people? Grounders? Holy fuck!” Sam rubs a hand over his face, pausing to let the information sink in before opening his mouth to speak. “…Dean, _listen_ to me; you’re not going out there by yourself.” Concern floods his brother’s eyes, causing Dean to swear under his breath because _how_ could he not give in to those damn puppy eyes. “ _Dean._ ”

“Ugh fine!” He throws his hands up, “Grab a gun. It’s just you and me; I’m not going to take everyone and lower our defenses. Hey Benny! You're in charge for now, Sam's with me!” In the distance Benny turns and nods his head before continuing.

“I’m coming too.” Jess speaks, hands on her hips. She looks at Dean and then purses her lips at Sam’s frowning face.

“What? Jess, _no._ It’s too dangerous!”

“What do you mean ‘ _no’_? I’m coming and that’s it. We’re on the ground now _fighting_ to live, so you can’t just expect me to be cooped up in here all the time picking goddamn berries.”

“But-”

“No, Sam. I’m going.”

“Sam just listen to the lady. Okay Jess you got your way, now go grab a gun from the tent.” Jess smiles and walks away.

“Dean! I can’t risk putting Jess in danger!”

“I know! But she’s right; if Jo can go then so can she.”

“Jo got hurt!”

“Yeah well anyone can get hurt. Have some faith.”

“… _fine_.” Sam’s face tenses and he breathes in deeply to calm his nerves. “Let’s just go. We’re losing daylight.”

He can see Jess running towards them with two guns on her back. She takes one off and passes it to Sam. “We ready to go?” He answers with a nod and gives her a brief hug.

“Yeah, we are.”

“Awesome. Come on you two, the grounders aren’t going to wait for us.” Dean begins walking towards the trees and the other two follow. “I haven’t seen what a grounder looks like yet but according to Jo’s description they’re real mean looking. They like to jump down from trees too, apparently, so keep an eye out.”

It doesn’t take long for them to reach the area where Madison was found and they quickly make their way through. They trudge on a bit further until they finally reach a part of the stream, steering clear of it for now so they keep within the protection of the trees. But when Dean sees blood on the rocks a bit further up ahead he curses, because that means that Edgar most likely came through this way. Which means they have to cross the stream if they want to find the other and that, of course, sucks a heap because they’re now walking targets. Just their luck.

He tells Sam and Jess to keep their guns raised and eyes focused on both sides for any signs of grounders.

He moves forward, carefully climbing down the slope and walking towards the water. It’s cold, he notices, and very shallow, making the way across very easy and safe for all of them. Not that Sammy would ever have any trouble considering he literally has the tallest legs ever.

Reaching the other side felt weird since there was a stillness in the air that wasn’t there before. It felt like they were being watched and he can’t help the shiver that runs down his back. One look at the Sam and Jess guaranteed that they were thinking the exact same thing.

No one has ever explored this far before and there’s a good chance that this is where their enemy mainly situates themselves. Well, that’s what he can assume at the very least since he knows absolutely nothing about these grounders, and he can easily bet that Sam and Jess know even less.

So they continue on cautiously and quietly, travelling further and further away from the stream. Jess lets out a small gasp when she notices dragging marks on the ground. That catches all of their attention and they follow it, knowing in the back of their minds that those marks could have been made from Edgar.

“The bastards took him.” Anger washes over him at the thought. The grounders are clearly messing with them and he’ll take that as a sign of intelligence, unless they’re just fucking monkey men that like to kill. Or maybe they’re just mega douchebags because apparently kidnapping someone and killing another for no reason seems acceptable to them. Yeah, they may not originally be from here (having lived on The Ark), but they haven’t done anything worthy of pissing anyone off.

“Calm down Dean. You need to focus.” Sam whispers, “Is it just me or is this a bit too obvious? All the tracks? There’s a high possibility that these guys are smart and they’re luring us in.”

“That’s what I thought. Though that was pretty obvious from the start. They wouldn’t just go out of their way to drag one of our own this far.”  He replies.

Jess turns to look at them slowly, eyes wide with shock, “Uh… g-guys?”

Dean could really use a slap to the face right about now because he knows his mouth is hanging wide open. If there was one thing to expect when finding Edgar it certainly wasn’t this. In the small area before them where trees a fewer scattered, is Edgar who is tied halfway up to a tall tree. His head hangs low and there’s a rope around the tree and his torso to keep him there. His arms are raised, held out and bleeding everywhere because there’s a knife stuck in each hand.  

“Fuck! We need to get him down!” He runs towards the tree, ignoring Sam’s comment not to and Jessica cry: _‘Is he dead!?’_ Dean doesn’t know if he’s still alive but he’s going to take his chances since there’s a possibly that Edgar’s either unconscious or… or dead; hopefully it’s the former.

He seriously didn’t think this through, not that there was any time to, because how the hell is he going to climb up the tree and get Edgar down? The other’s at least halfway up, maybe less, but if those fucking grounders managed to do it then so can he. Okay, he might have over-estimated himself a bit; Dean doesn’t have super jungle climbing skills, which isn’t surprising since he’s only lived in a forest for a handful of days.

A horn blasts and echoes in the distance, accompanied by loud yelling that slowly gets louder the longer he tries to figure this out. The grounders are coming.

Sam yells. “Dean, we need to go!”

“We can’t just leave him here!” He grabs his hair in frustration. “What if he’s unconscious!? He’ll die!”

“And then we’ll all die! They’re coming for us Dean and we need to move now! He’s too high up!”

“Come on!” Jess shouts and pulls at Sam’s arm, failing to move him since he refuses to run until his brother complies. Dean’s about to yell something back when suddenly a _swish_ can be heard. An arrow pierces the air and in a split second goes right through Edgar’s chest. There’s nothing they can do now and the only option left is to run.

“GO! THEY’RE IN THE TREES!” Dean yells.

They all sprint back into the direction they came from, leaping over roots, rocks and anything large enough that blocks their path. In the corner of his eye he can see grounders dropping to the ground and running towards them, daggers, bows and even large swords in hand. More grounders begin appearing from between the trees, chasing after them as well. Jo was right, these guys look really threatening with their clad of black clothing and armor and face paint. They’re even terrifying.

Sam seems to notice this as well. “SHIT! THEY’RE ON THE GROUND!”

And that means that they can’t run together and slow each other down, so Dean shouts back. “RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! NO WAITING UP FOR ANYONE, WE NEED TO MAKE IT BACK!”

Jess and Sam glance at Dean with understanding in their eyes. Good. His brother uses his long lanky legs to his advantage and sprints even faster, running past Dean. Jess, despite being the tiny thing she is, is exceptionally fast and agile and zooms right past Dean. He himself has never been incredibly fast at running, not to say that he isn’t, but compared to Sam and people like Jess (who are both incredibly fit) Dean just happens to be a tiny bit slower. It doesn’t take long for him to become unable to see Sam in the distance because of all the goddamn trees, but at least he can still _just_ see Jessica.

Up ahead is the stream and just as he crosses it Jess has climbed up and gone into the trees. Dean makes it up the cliff a few seconds after and follows her. About four of five grounders are back on the other side of the stream in the forest, yet they just stand there, doing nothing and disappearing from view once he’s deeply surrounded by trees again. He hopes to God that they’ve given up for now because it looks like they aren’t going to chase them anymore.

He keeps moving when suddenly there’s a pained cry up in the distance and as he runs closer he sees that it’s Jess. She’s clutching her leg where an arrow has hit and tries to run on, clearly not as fast as before because of the pain. Dean makes it to her and she tells him to leave her behind. Obviously that’s not going to happen so he grabs her arm and puts it around the back of his neck, helping her stand and walk. He hears a rustle and he lets go of Jess, taking his gun and raising it. He slowly moves forward, senses sharp and on high alert. He’s not running now, not when Jess is here and unable to make it back by herself.

He hears another rustle and swiftly turns around with his gun. There’s a grounder behind Jess, holding a knife to the side of her throat. He’s restrained her from using her gun, having thrown it to the ground and using his spare hand to hold her wrists behind her back. Dean would’ve shot the man right that very instant if he weren’t holding Jess in a chokehold, and he wasn’t going to risk putting a bullet through the wrong head.

“Let her go.” Dean hisses, jaw tense and eyes sharp. The other just glares at him, making no move to let Jess go. Instead, the grounder steps forward with her and steps closer to him. They continue to stare hard at each other and up this close Dean can see that the other has the bluest eyes he’s ever seen. It’s like the palest of blue skies and the darkest of blue oceans have been swirled into one gorgeous colour, making that lightning shade of blue stand out even more against the black smudges of face paint. The other has messy dark brown hair and a sharp jaw and he could get lost in admiring how someone can be so attractive.

Right now Dean wants to stab himself for even thinking that this man is gorgeous (even though he is _)_ and that just serves for him to hate the other even more because this isn’t the type of situation to be having those kinds of thoughts. The other has a knife held against Jess’ throat for fucks sake, and that just makes it all the more worse, including the guilt that begins to settle inside his mind.

“I won’t say it again. Let. Her. Go.”

He raises his gun even higher and rests his finger on the trigger, prepared to shoot at any moment. The grounder continues to stare at Dean with this hard look, but then his arm slowly moves away from Jess’s neck and he lets go of her hands, giving her a quick shove that makes her stumble towards Dean.

Dean catches her and curses for lowering his defenses, however when he looks back up the grounder is simply watching. He’s literally having a mental freak out because what is he supposed to do? He doesn’t want to shoot the guy because he’s the only one who hasn’t actually tried to kill him (or carry it out) so far and has backed off. He’s already let his guard down and having seen how fast the guy is he knows that he can’t stand a chance even if he raises his gun. If the other becomes a major threat then he’ll attack and die fighting.  

“Go.”

Well that stops his panicking mid thought because he’s pretty sure he heard the grounder say ‘go’, which is actually _English_ and means – in this context - get the fuck lost.

So Dean does. He grabs Jess’ arm once more and puts it around the back of his neck. He also tucks his gun under his spare arm and keeps it angled towards the other because _just in case_. Jess’ gun is laying on the ground but he isn’t going to risk getting into the guy’s personal bubble, so he just looks at him for a few more seconds before walking with Jess. When he turns around the grounder’s gone. Not a trace, nothing. Not even a sound.

It takes quite a while getting back to camp because they walked the rest of the way. It was mostly silent, except from Jess saying thank you and him saying he’d never leave her behind, not when she’s family. That makes her smile, albeit weakly, because she’s still got an arrow stuck in her leg and that’s gotta hurt like a bitch. The walk back also gave Dean a lot of time to think because apparently grounders can speak English, or at least he thinks so. It sounded a lot like English at least and even Jess said “What the fuck just happened?”, and Jess doesn't swear; never. So Dean doesn’t know what happened. They managed to squeeze out of a near death experience after being saved (and he uses that term very loosely) by a grounder. A very attractive one at that. _Ugh, stop it Dean you fucking idiot_.

“Great.” He murmurs. Jess looks up and asks what’s up, which he quickly replies with nothing. She doesn’t need to know that he has a slight thing for the enemy, which is totally not a thing at all. There was just a whole lot of creepy and angry staring. Yeah, that was all.

Instead of thinking of that Dean needs to think of the bigger problems (which don’t include a blue eyed grounder). One, there are tribal looking warriors living nearby that are clearly angry for no reason and are attacking them. Two, they need to build their defenses up even more, getting that damn spiky wall up and pile of weapons/ammunition from the bunker they found. Three, they need more meat; the hunt today was clearly a bust after all the shit that has happened. That brings forth another thought. Edgar’s dead, stuck to a tree and probably going to stay there. He hates it, hates it so much that he can’t retrieve his body, but he can’t risk going back into grounder territory and getting himself killed. Edgar deserves to be buried with his people, next to Madison, but he can’t. Instead he’ll be rotting on that tree and he really doesn’t want to think about what the grounders will decide to do to the body. The _Corpse_.

“This is so fucked up.”

“I know.” Jessica says. “You’re thinking real hard Dean. I can’t stop either, just, what happened it- God.” He nods and they continue on in silence. By now the sun has just set and it’s dark. Fortunately they can see their camp up ahead, the lights from torches visible from over the top of the wall.

“They finished it.” He remarks. The wall’s finished and he can see that it spans across their whole perimeter, the area they claimed their own. It’s a huge relief to Dean knowing that they have some protection against the grounders, and when he walks closer with Jess he can see heaps of wood have been carved, spiked, and laid against the wooden and metal foundations of the wall.

“Guess your talk about us not being alone must’ve really scared them, made them focus on protection.”

“Yeah,” he smiles at Jess. “They’re finally listening. Hey, once we get inside Sammy and Kevin can use their nursey abilities and get you all patched up. ‘Bout time you got that arrow out of your leg.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Definitely.”

Two guys on top of the wall yell out when they see them. They hear louder talking and suddenly the gate’s being opened. Sam rushes out and floods them with questions about what happened and why they took so long. The moose nearly freaks out when he sees the arrow in Jess’ leg and doesn’t hesitate to pick her up and run back inside. Once inside the gate closes and Dean can finally breathe. His muscles ache painfully from the most intense workout of a lifetime and the only benefit from that, he reasons, is toning up (what? he loves pie).

Benny finds him once he catches wind of his return and Dean delivers the whole story and a much earned thanks for taking control. His friend tells him to rest up and that he’ll sort out the sentry duties for the night. Dean doesn’t argue and gladly accepts, turning and leaving for his tent. Charlie isn’t in at the moment and he’s starving since he missed lunch and dinner, but he doesn’t care, instead dumping his gun on the ground and falling asleep in a heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I wonder who the blue-eyed grounder is? Teehee.
> 
> As you can see the development between Cas and Dean will take a while (I'm sorry!)  
> But trust me, we'll eventually get there.
> 
> Also, thanks guys for the kudos ^_^ Those made me very happy.


	5. CONTACT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean can do this. He will do this. He’s only got Jo, Jess and Sam’s sanity to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of exciting stuff happens in this chapter (which is actually not true at all. It's just not as action packed as prev chapters).
> 
> Apologies for any mistakes!  
> Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 5: CONTACT**

The first thing Dean’s aware of is the pain that shoots up through his arms and legs. His back and neck are stiff and as he opens his eyes and tries to sit up he feels his stomach muscles ache in protest. It’s like he’s been flattened by a huge rock and thrown half way across the planet. At least he knows what actually happened; running around all afternoon, sprinting for your life and being chased by grounders is sure to do a number on you and Dean doesn’t blame his body. So yeah, hopefully that never happens again. Trying to stand up, however, is a much different challenge from sitting upright, and as he pushes himself up he groans because _ouch_.

Charlie isn’t in the tent with him, which is weird since she tends to sleep in, but when he opens the tent and walks outside he realises that it’s late in the morning and that’s why she isn’t there. Dean slept in. And damn he knows he needed it.

In the daylight he can finally admire the large wall that travels across the perimeter. It isn’t the best line of defense, but at least it’s something. People are wandering around doing their jobs and that makes Dean happy; they respect him enough to help out and play their part.

He’s walking around absently when suddenly someone calls out his name. He realises that it was Lisa and he walks over to her. She’s not alone, with Becky sitting on the rock beside her eating a bowl full of berries, nuts and some kind of gross green stuff.

“Hey Dean.” Lisa smiles and pats the spot next to her. “How are you feeling?”

He doesn’t move to sit down until Becky offers him the rest of her food, and since he’s currently starving he happily accepts and makes himself comfy on the space next to Lisa. “Like shit to be honest. Everything hurts from yesterday but I’ll be fine.” _Damn these berries are good._

“Yesterday… That was a horrible day for all of us. You did what you could Dean. Thank you.”

“Yeah,” Becky pipes in, “You guys were amazing. I’m so glad you and Sam are in charge! So _heroic…_ ”

“Uh, thanks.” he blinks, “I did what anyone else would do.” Lisa smiles at that and nods. It’s a calm quiet until Becky speaks again, looking side to side before leaning in and whispering.

“Have you guys noticed anything weird with Bela lately?”

Dean frowns. “No?”

“In that direction, at the very end of the camp grounds, I’ve been seeing her sneak off around the trees. Pretty suspicious if you ask me,” she leans in closer, “I think she may be getting a lot of action, if you know what I mean!”

“Oh God, Becky I did not need to know that. If she wants to…” he moves his hand to sign, “…you know, then let her have her privacy.”

“What? She’s had to at least done half the guys in here already! …Maybe even girls!”

Lisa remains quiet and deep in thought. Something like recognition flashes across her face. “Wait Becky? You mean the place at the very end of camp?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s what I said.”

“I’ve been noticing Sal go there a lot lately. I thought since he was an Ark guard he’d feel awkward socialising with us, that he’d want some space.”

“What? No way! What if Bela and him are totally doing each other!”

“Well I don’t think so-”

“But they have to be!”

“I guess? …Yeah I guess.” Lisa’s frown matches the one on Dean’s face. Bela sneaking away to get some, sure, he wouldn’t put it past her, but Sal? He honestly can’t picture the uptight guy doing _that_ , at least not with a bunch of kids, or Bela nonetheless. But thinking about it now, he can’t be so sure. Bela and Sal could actually be going at it but it’s not his business unless it becomes a big deal in a bad way.  So he’ll leave it at that.

“You know what Becky, we’re going to drop it for now. But keep doing what you’re doing; spying and all that. If something else seems odd you come see me or Sammy. Got it?”

“Yes!” Becky flashes the biggest smile then mutters something about using it as an excuse to see Sam. It sends a small shiver down his spine at the creepy grin that appears on her face next, but then she just looks up and waves, jumping off of her rock. “Tell Sam hello for me and that I’ll see him if I find out anything!”

“Uh okay?” She disappears and Dean meets Lisa’s gaze. They just laugh and shake their heads. “Crazy, right?”

“Definitely. Hey, you do know she’s going after your brother?”

“Ugh gross. Does she realise that Sam’s taken?”

“I don’t think she cares.” Lisa just laughs once more and Dean shakes his head in disbelief, muttering _crazy_ under his breath. Becky may be strange (which is quite the understatement) but she’s a good person, a loyal friend, and that’s something you need in a place like this.

Lisa leans closer to him and places her hands on his shoulders, “You said you’re sore all over right?” Dean flinches at the touch, feeling a bit awkward at first but when she presses into the muscle he groans in relief. Hell yes, a massage. He hmms in response and she continues on. “I’ve had a lot of training in this area since I was a yoga instructor. This’ll help loosen your shoulders…”

Her hands slip lower, “…and back.”

Dean jumps up and turns around, hands raised as he keeps his distance. It takes a moment to realise his reaction and he absently rubs the back of his neck. “Uh sorry Lisa. Not used to all the touching and yeah. Thank you though… I feel a bit better.”

“No, it’s fine! I’m sorry, I should have warned you first.” She looks down sheepishly before making eye contact again. Dean doesn’t know what that was; flirting? Nothing? Helping? Either way he’s not going to comment on it. He wouldn’t mind getting laid (since he hasn’t in a while), but he’s not in the mood, not with all the shit that’s been happening and Lisa’s nice, but not right. God he sounds like a sap.

“Yeah well uh, all’s good. You know what? Charlie said she wanted to see me this morning and I’ve delayed that long enough so I’ll catch ya later?” He lies.

“Yeah, okay.” Lisa’s awkward wave is the last thing he sees before heading over to the large tent he last saw Charlie in. Charlie won’t be expecting him but he hasn’t seen the nerd in a day or so because of everything that’s happened, so it’d be nice to see her.

He finds that the tent’s empty, filled with only a table and a bunch of computer like bits and pieces.

“Huh. Where’d she get all of that?” As if on cue, Charlie appears and enters the tent, jumping in surprise when she notices Dean.

“Oh! Hey Dean! How ya feeling? Nope, never mind! You’ve got to come with me and check this out!” She grabs his arm and hauls him out of the tent. Before he can get a word in Charlie speaks again. “Okay, so you know when you last saw me I was in that tent tinkering with stuff? Well I was trying to build this thing so I could contact The Ark. Hah, well that was a bust!”

“Where’d you get the-”

“From the dropship! Opened some panels inside and took some stuff, no biggy!”

“Oh okay. So no way of contact, huh?”

“Actually, there is a way.” Charlie slows down and turns to face him. “You know the wristband from Jo’s arm?”

“Yeah?”

“Well Kevin gave it to me and Ash and I opened it up and took a look, and – seeing as how The Ark can keep up to tab on us with that – we thought why shouldn’t we be able to do the same? And walla! There’s a possibility that we can reach The Ark, talk to them, communicate! Sure, we had to add things to it but by using some of the power on the dropship and by combining that with the band – with a lot of poking around – we can form a signal!”

Dean laughs, “That’s amazing Charlie! So does that mean we can talk to them?”

“Sort of. More like Morse code, but Ash and I can read that fluently and someone up on The Ark’s gotta know it.”

“Wait, you know Morse code? I never knew that.”

“You never asked to know the full extent of my awesomeness.”

“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes but smiles. “You are pretty cool though in my book.”

“Why thank you Dean.” She mock curtsies and laughs, “I guess you’re cool enough to be put in my book as well.”

“Hey!”

“Anyways! So you wanna check it out?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope! And you’re gonna love it!”

They step up into the dropship, entering the large area. In it are hammocks that have been set up for those who are injured or ill. Sam, Dean notices, is sitting near one of the hammocks. Not surprisingly, Jess is in the hammock and sleeping. There’s a bandage around her leg which is slightly stained from blood, and he assumes that Sam’s been there the whole time judging by the bags beneath his eyes.  Jo’s sitting in another hammock and lifting her shirt up slightly for Kevin to place a new clean bandage on. She looks up and greets them with a smile when she notices him with Charlie. The redhead waves at Jo and tries to drag Dean away when he tells her to hang on.

“Just wait a minute Charlie… Hey, Sam.”

His brother looks up, a small smile barely reaching his tired eyes. “Hey Dean. It’s nice to see you up and awake.”

“Yeah, thanks. Though it looks like you didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“…” Sam looks down at Jess and a frown settles on his face. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let her go. I shouldn’t have run off and left her behind… She’s been like this all night Dean – I, I’m worried.”

“Jesus Sam! It’s not your fault! None of this is and I’m sure Jess is fine. Yesterday was tiring and she was hit by an arrow! Look at me, I slept in this late and I only ran! I’m sure she’s just sleeping it off...” Dean grabs his brother’s shoulder and looks him in the eye. “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine; I said she could come and I gave the orders for us to not wait up on each other.”

“No Dean, it shouldn’t be your fault. You did what you had to do.”

“Well it’s not your fault either then. If anyone’s to blame then it’s the grounders; they caused all of this shit. Not me and certainly not you.”

“Yeah… Yeah okay…” Sam stands up to hug up him then sits back down. “Thank you, I needed that. I think all of this stress is just making me paranoid.”

“No problem.”

Charlie jumps in front of Dean. “Pssst Dean, radio? The Ark? Come on!”

“Oh, right!” Excitement takes over and he looks at Sam. “Charlie’s found a way to reach The Ark! Want to check it out with me so it can, you know, give you a distraction?”

Sam smiles but politely declines. “I’ll stay here. You’re right around the corner anyway so I’ll hear everything.”

“Well whatever your loss!” Charlie smirks at Sam then tugs on Dean’s shirt. “Come on!”

“Alright!”

The both of them go past and walk towards a table that Dean certainly doesn’t remember from before. Charlie and Ash must’ve had someone make it and bring it in. Speaking of Ash, he’s sitting at the table and fiddling with Jo’s wristband and a whole lot of wires that connect to an open panel on the wall. The desk it littered with heaps of bits and pieces and Dean has no idea how Charlie and Ash managed to make this mess.

“Oh yeah!” Ash woops and then looks up, smirking at Charlie and Dean. “I did it!” He lifts his hand up for a high five.

“Excuse me, you mean ‘we’!” Charlie exclaims yet meets his high five anyway, cheering along. She rushes along and tells Ash to scoot, taking his place on the chair. The wristband – which is now a communicator – is on the table. There’s a little light on the inside and Charlie beams at it. “Awesome! It’s connected!”

“So what happens now?” Dean may be a mechanic, but he’s not _that_ good. He doesn’t know half of the technical and hacky stuff that Charlie and Ash know.

“I’ve just got to click this into place and press this and-”

“You know what? I don’t think I want to know the details. It’ll go over my head anyways so uh, tell me when you’ve done it.”

“Done it!” Charlie yells, the biggest grin painting her face. “Okay… come on… I’ve sent a signal out to The Ark and I’ll need to keep repeating it. Sort of like an SOS but more of a ‘please respond’. I don’t know if this will go to them but hopefully it’ll work…”

All that’s left to do is wait, so Dean leans against the desk as he watches Charlie press a bunch of random stuff. She explains to him the whole process that’ll happen if The Ark picks up; she’ll reply and send the messages and Ash will write down and translate (although he can do that by simply listening). A few minutes later the wristband starts flashing and Charlie holds her breath. She begins tapping away quickly and then suddenly squeals, making Dean and Ash jump.

“We did it!” She shouts. “It’s The Ark! They said they read our message! Oh my God! Ash you better be writing this shit down!”

“…Gotcha!’”

“Uh guys, since I don’t speak dots could you translate? I mean, if it’s not a problem?”

“Nope! No problem! Okay uh, wow, so apparently we’re speaking to one of the IT guys in the council room. I’ve introduced myself and they said that Ellen will be taking over.”

“Ellen knows Morse code as well?”

“I guess. Ellen wasn’t always Chancellor you know?” Dean nods at that but doesn’t reply, so Charlie continues. “We’re now talking to Ellen – she wants to know what the ground is like. She asked if it’s ‘safe’. What should I say?”

Ash says, “Here’s anythin’ but safe.” And it’s true. If the radiation won’t kill them, then something else will. Probably the grounders. Shit, yeah the grounders; they’ll have to mention that too.

“Tell Ellen that it’s not safe but we’re doing fine. No radiation where we are. Mention the grounders – that we’re not alone.”

Charlie taps away the reply then waits, finally receiving a response a minute or so later. “Shit, Dean.” She looks up. “Ellen asked if Jo was still alive. I said yes-”

“Shit! The wristbands… Ellen would’ve thought Jo was dead all this time. Tell her that Madison and Edgar aren’t…”

“On it.”

How could he forget about the wristband? They read their vitals and The Ark received that information. At least he knows now that once the wristbands come off they’re off for good; no weird chip things injected and left behind in their wrists.

Yet what makes everything worse is that a few minutes ago Ellen thought her only child was dead, and knowing that makes Dean feel bad, sympathetic even. 

“I think Ellen’s having a moment to herself. It’s silent right now… wait, she’s back. ‘ _Hang…on…for now…The Ark_ …’ …oh my God! She said The Ark’s coming to the ground! They’re coming Dean!”

“When?” His heart beats faster.

“In a few weeks; maybe a month. I’m not sure – but it’s soon. I guess whatever happens depends on the oxygen levels.”

“So that means this whole thing was a success. People are going to live!” Bobby and everyone else he knows is coming down and knowing that causes a rush of happiness to bubble up to the surface. However the smile on his face doesn’t last long because of what Charlie says next.

“Ellen said your dad’s there. He wants to speak to you.”

“No.”

“What? But Dean-”

“I won’t speak to John.” He clears his throat and rubs the wetness from his eyes. “Charlie… I just- I can’t. Tell Ellen I can’t; not after what he’s done”

“…” she just nods. “Ellen said it wasn’t his fault.”

Great, now they’re pulling this shit on him. Trying to cover up mum’s death with lies pisses him off. The longer this drags on the angrier he gets.

“Dean? Shit… Ellen said that your dad didn’t know anything… that Mary came to her and set this whole thing up.”

He just scoffs at that because they must be trying really hard. Mary wouldn’t do that. He knew how much she wanted justice, to tell The Ark the truth. Anger unfurls inside him and he barely contains it. Fuck his dad and fuck Ellen for trying to make up all of this bullshit. Mum’s dead because of John and since that’s the case Dean will be too. “Well tell them they’re fucking liars!” He raises his arm and smashes the wristband against the wall. There’s a loud bang and a crack as the wristband splits open and falls off. _Fuck_ that hurt but he could care less; the pain John’s caused him was so much worse.

“What the hell Dean! I understand you’re upset but injuring yourself! Shit!” Charlie scolds him and Ash just stands there looking half amused.

“Damn dude, that’s going to be one nasty bruise.”

He looks down at his wrist and sees that it’s slightly red and swollen. Dean rubs it and leans against the wall, closing his eyes. “Yeah… I needed to do that. Sorry guys. I was angry and…” he breathes. “And I needed to let it out.”

Charlie nods in understanding and looks up with sad eyes. “Yeah, well Ellen’s asking what happened. Guess you got it across that you hate their guts since you’re theoretically dead without that thing on your wrist.”

“Tell them I took it off or whatever. I don’t care. I’m not speaking to John or listening to their excuses.”

“Sure thing.” She taps away once more while he just stands there. A thousand thoughts are currently running through his mind, only to be interrupted when suddenly Sam cries out for Kevin and him.

“Sam!?” He runs out into the other area, seeing Sam lean over Jess who’s still unconscious but tossing and turning. She’s sweating profusely and groaning in pain. “What the hell is happening!?”

“Dean! I- I don’t know I thought she was fine and suddenly she started acting like this! I don’t know!”

“Shit! Sam calm down! You’re a doctor you can figure it out!”

“I’m a student! Big difference! Fuck! Jess, Jess – Jess! She won’t wake up!” She starts coughing and Sam rolls her over into recovery position. “Kevin!”

Kevin runs over and tells Sam to hold her down. He places his palm on her forehead. “She’s burning up! This isn’t normal! Okay, Sam, you need to calm down. I’ll take control; you’re not thinking straight. Just keep holding her down!” He opens Jess’ eyelids and pauses, only to then move down to the wound on her leg. He unwraps the bandage, revealing raw red skin around the wound and a strange discharge-like pus leaking from it. Jess starts convulsing for a few seconds before she falls still, unmoving and seemingly paralyzed.

“…Her wound’s infected?” Dean asks.

Kevin shakes his head and Sam speaks up. “No she’s – she’s poisoned.”

Kevin looks at Dean and continues on. “Her eyes are bloodshot, her skin’s clammy and her legs are slightly discoloured; tinged with purple. I’ve never seen anything like this but I know the signs that differentiate infections from poison. An infection couldn’t be this severe when it's only just come into contact with the wound. It wasn't like this an hour ago.”

“Fuck! The arrow! The grounders poisoned their arrows!”

Sam looks up, a scared expression on his face. “It would explain why she’s been unconscious all night and morning!” he chokes out a sob. “Jess! I should’ve known!”

“Hey, Sammy, you can do this. She needs you right now.” He turns to Kevin. “What the fuck are we gonna do?”

“There’s not much we can do. We don’t even have half of the medical equipment needed to fix this. An amputation is an option but we don’t know how far the poison’s spread. Her leg's the only place showing discolouration so far-”

“But blood loss-”

“Exactly. We don’t what type of poison it is-”

“We can’t just sit here and do nothing!” Sam cries.

“We’re thinking Sam!”

Charlie runs in. “Heard the whole thing! Told Ellen; Kevin, Linda’s there!”

“Mum? Yeah okay. Shit. Sam keep an eye on Jess!” He runs with Charlie.

“Just explain the symptoms to me so I can explain it to her.”

Kevin explains to Charlie and she frantically taps away.

“What did mum say?”

Ash answers. “Based on our location she said there’s a large stream near here that connects to a large river.”

“The one Benny and Garth found?”

“Only stream we know of.” Ash swaps places with Charlie and sits in the seat, tapping away. “They said old data of the Earth stated that many different types of plants grew there and had several healing ailments. Certain types of seaweed were able to detoxify and cleanse the body of pollutants and other bad stuff.”

“So we go get the seaweed or plants, right? What would it look like?” Charlie frowns.

“Seaweed looks like long thick grass in the water. Ask mum what colour, type?”

“…” Ash looks up after receiving a reply. “It’s only theory she said. They don’t know if it’s still there after all this time. But she said it should be red.”

“Red. Okay.” Kevin turns to go but runs into Dean.

“Kevin, I’ll go. It’s red right? Long grass? By the stream in the water? I can do it. You need to look after Jess - Sam, he’s… he not thinking right and I need you there.”

Kevin nods and heads over to Jess.

“I can go alone. Ash, Charlie, you guys need to be here to keep talking to The Ark. Kevin!” he calls out. “How long do you think I have?”

“I’m not sure but the poison has been slowly reacting for nearly a day, half a day, somewhere in between… It’s only started to spread now so…”

“So what?”

“Tomorrow. She has until tomorrow; and that’s if we’re lucky.”

“Shit.” Dean thinks. “I can do it. I can find that stupid seaweed in an hour or so and make it back in time. ...But what if it’s not there? We’re going off a half assed theory man!”

“It’s the only thing we can do! We have to try!”

“Yeah okay, you’re right. I can do this.” Dean leaves Charlie and Ash and walks over to Sam, giving him a tight hug. “Come on Sammy, you need to be strong.” Sam sniffs, his eyes red and puffy from crying but he nods, muttering a small ‘you need to go, Dean’ to him. So he lets go of Sam and just as he’s about to leave he realises something.

“Jo.” It dawns on Dean that she was hit by an arrow as well. Was that poisoned too? Would it be as serious as Jess? It only cut her hip, and yeah it was a large cut but it wasn’t anything life threatening. Plus, the arrow didn’t stay imbedded in her body like Jess’. Would that be enough to poison her?

His answers are answered when people start yelling and shrieking outside. He runs out and finds Jo collapsed on the ground. People are saying that she just suddenly fell and Dean wastes no time in picking her up and carrying her back into the dropship, laying her down in the hammock next to Jess’.

Kevin curses for not realising sooner. “When was Jo hit?”

Dean quickly answers. “A few hours before Jess.”

Kevin paces around thinking. “Okay. So Jo’s fine for now; she’s going into a coma like Jess did. Luckily the injury wasn’t like Jess’ so the poison is attacking the body much slower. I’d give her two days, possibly less. Half a day before she does what Jess just did…”

And with that Dean’s running out, heading towards the weapon tent and grabbing a gun. He runs towards the gate, passing Benny on the way who nods when Dean looks at him. Without even speaking Benny understands and salutes. Dean doesn’t say anything and heads out into the forest.

By the time the camp’s out of view Dean’s legs are burning, screaming at him to stop. He ignores the soreness in his muscles, willing himself to keep powering on and overcome his limits. If he did this yesterday he can do it again. He’s not going to waste any time, not when Jess has a day left to live and Jo an extra two days. Hell, their lives aren’t probably going to last that long if Dean manages to fuck up or there aren’t any plants.

_‘Red seaweed’_ he thinks to himself, _‘it’s red, looks like weird grass and grows in water’_. He can do this. He will do this. He’s only got Jo, Jess and Sam’s sanity to lose.  

Dean sees the opening between the trees and runs through them, not even sparing a second to hesitate if the grounders see him. They’re honestly the last thing on his mind at the moment and he doubts they’d do a full frontal attack after having already done so last night.

He slides down the slope, jumping over rocks and running over to the edge of the stream. His eyes scan the water, looking for anything remotely the colour red.

“Damn it…” He can’t see anything from where he is so he steps into the water and slowly walks around, carefully observing the stream beneath him. That’s when his eye catches a glimpse of red in the distance, and he curses because it just so happens to be at the other side of the stream. He strides across, splashing water everywhere as he does so and shivers at the coldness.

Once he reaches the other side he moves towards the red thing, wary of the forest that now stands next to him. When he's close enough he finds that it doesn’t look anything like grass and is actually growing out of the ground next to the stream. It's a fucking red bunch of flowers.

His heart speeds up and he panics. There has to be _something_. There has to be! Sure, they were going off a stupid ass theory but there were still deer and rabbits here, so why not seaweed? Maybe it’s further along the stream? He’s not going to stop looking until he finds it.

Dean stands up and looks at the stream. He wants to scream out his frustrations, scream out that everything’s unfair, that he can’t do anything. But he can’t, not when suddenly there’s a sharp pain at the back of his head and his vision goes blurry. Suddenly he’s looking at the ground and the world’s spinning. He sees a pair of boots step in front of his face before everything goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Oh no! Dean D: Will he make it back in time!?  
> I mean, it's gotta be obvious as to who that was but *shrugs*.  
> Another fast update, I know. It'll probably be like that for the next two weeks.  
> And then BAM I'll be busy again. 
> 
> Also, I know pretty much nothing about medicine, healing stuff, Morse code etc so I wouldn't doubt that it sounds quite sketchy. I'm just using basic knowledge and things I can half remember from The 100. Sorry! xD
> 
> Thank you :)


	6. BLUE EYES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where am I?” Dean manages to whisper with a sore roughness to his voice...  
> ...“Safe.” The other whispers. And with that Dean’s eyes slowly close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Minor-ish character death/s  
> I'm so sorry, but it had to be done o(╥﹏╥)o
> 
> Notes: The second part is back on The Ark and takes place during chapter 5 - it should be clear when. You don't need to read that since you won't be learning much and it doesn't add too much to the story. But it's Ellen's POV from when she was communicating with Charlie.
> 
> Apologies for any mistakes D:  
> (Please let me know if you see any and I'll fix them up later.)  
> Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 6: BLUE EYES**

Dean doesn’t know how long it’s been. His eyelids barely open before they’re falling shut once more, allowing his consciousness to slip away. Time seems to pass like this, with his foggy mind waking up briefly and soon falling asleep a few seconds later. What he does know is that it’s daytime, judging by the angle of the light, and that he’s in a very uncomfortable position. Other than that he knows nothing because the world is simply a distant blur whenever he is awake.

Every so often he hears things; noises. The light tapping of feet, the tinkering of objects, and breathing that sounds a lot like deep sighs.

One time he does manage to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds. They even focus a little, giving Dean the chance to see that he’s in some sort of cave. The light’s strongest towards the corner and there are shelves lining the walls. The whole décor gives a small warmth to the area, making it feel more like a room. There’s a blurry figure on the other side facing away from Dean, moving around and navigating the shelves.

He must groan because suddenly the figure is heading towards him. As the other moves closer Dean notices that they have the bluest eyes he’s ever seen and messy hair that is almost black. That thought alone causes the strangest feeling of deja vu and immediately alarms are going off in the back of his head. He’s too tired and confused so he ignores it, instead feeling his eyes lazily watch the other.

 _“Where am I?”_ Dean manages to whisper with a sore roughness to his voice. Blue eyes – he decides to call the other - leans down and places a palm on his forehead, muttering something with a deep voice that sends shivers down Dean’s spine. The other curses and sits back, reaching to grab something before turning to Dean once more.

 _“Safe.”_ The other whispers. And with that Dean’s eyes slowly close.

***

The next time Dean comes to he’s fully awake. Confusion and panic overtakes his mind as he realises he’s in an unfamiliar place. A few seconds later everything clicks together as he remembers being knocked out when trying to find that red thing for Jess. Fuck! He _needs_ to get back to Jess!

He glances around the cave – or room – and finds that he’s currently alone. Okay, good. The light however is barely filtering in and Dean can only assume that it’s night. And that’s bad.

He doesn’t know if he’s only been here for just the afternoon or a whole day. His memory is a hazy mess of broken recollections from before and Dean suspects that he was drugged because everything from before didn’t feel normal. At least he knows that his captor – the blue eyed grounder - isn’t going to kill him right off the bat. While that may seem like a good thing, it’s not, because if he doesn’t make it back to Jessica and Jo in time then they’ll both be dead before he knows it.

He quickly moves to sit up but cries out in pain. His arms are tied behind his back in a rope that’s secured around the leg of a large wooden table.  For the first time he feels slightly regretful about having injured his wrist and the fact that his legs are also tied makes everything much more difficult.

“Great.” He groans in frustration. Getting out isn’t exactly the problem, it’s the noise that’ll be made. He doesn’t know when blue eyes will come back, but if he’s near he’ll definitely hear Dean’s attempts to escape.

Not that Dean has an option anyway.

“Okay, I got this.” He slightly twists around and shifts his body so he’s lying beneath the table. Raising his legs, Dean awkwardly pushes his shoes against the base and lifts it. The table rises and despite his joints aching at the uncomfortable position, he manages to lift it high enough that he can push his tied wrists down the table leg and – after much wiggling – off.

His legs shake with effort as he slowly puts the table down. He rolls out from there and sees a small sharp stone near him. Using that he rubs the rope around his arms against it until it snaps.

“Yes…!” Dean hurriedly uses his freed hands to untie the rope around his ankles. When he’s done and standing up he pauses. “Wait? The fuck?” His wrist is bandaged and he frowns in confusion. How did he not notice that and why would the grounder help him? Sure, he saved his life but the dude kidnapped him a day after.

He doesn’t get much time to dwell on that because he hears footsteps.

Dean quickly looks around and swears; he’s got nowhere to hide. But maybe he could use something to defend himself with. There aren’t any weapons lying around so Dean picks up a book from the table and raises it, slowly backing up and creating more distance between him and the grounder.

As soon as he sees someone enter he throws the book and makes a run. That probably wasn’t the smartest idea but Dean doesn’t see any other options.

The surprised grounder, who Dean confirms is blue eyes, curses loudly in some sort of weird language. He’s almost towards the exit when suddenly he’s being tackled to the ground. His arms break his fall and protect his head, causing his injured wrist to take the brunt of the impact. He gasps as pain shoots up his arm and his body automatically flinches in response.

Dean’s still being held down and once the initial shock is over he rushes to crawl free. Before he can use his arm to push himself up the grounder grabs it and twists him around, straddling him.

“ _Don’t touch me!_ ” Dean thrashes about.

He’s locked in place and unable to break free. His head spins and his heart pounds heavily with adrenalin and right now Dean’s scared shitless. He’s scared for Jess and Jo and himself. Hell, he’s scared for Sammy because he’s never going to see him again and that means his brother is going to have to deal with three deaths.

He’s going to die.

Dean doesn’t realise he’s hyperventilating until the grounder looks him in the eyes and tells him to calm down and breathe. Eventually he slows down his breathing and manages to keep eye contact with the other. The grounder looks slightly concerned with a slight frown tugging at his lips.

They stay in that position for quite some time, and once Dean realises that blue eyes isn’t going to hurt him he slightly relaxes. The grounder seems to understand this and slowly stands up, not letting go of Dean’s injured wrist the whole time. He helps Dean up and drags him over to the table, getting him to sit on some weird grass woven mat.

Blue eyes moves around a bit, carefully watching Dean the whole time as he collects a jar and bowl from a shelf. When he comes back over he sits down in front of Dean and lightly grabs his arm. Dean flinches but nods once he sees that blue eyes is waiting for permission.

The grounder unwraps the bandage, revealing a red and slightly purple swollen wrist. The sight honestly makes Dean cringe because he didn’t expect the fall to be that bad, but he guess it would be since his wrist had just barely started recovering.

On that note, Dean really needs to know where he is and for how long he’s been there. Especially why he was kidnapped in the first place. It’s odd, Dean thinks, because he knows he should be fighting tooth and nail to escape (which he already did) but blue eyes hasn’t exactly shown any kind of hostility so far.

Without thinking Dean speaks, albeit quietly. “Why are you doing this?”

Blue eyes glances up at Dean then looks back down, continuing to apply some weird green paste to his wrist. The graze of the other’s calloused fingers on his skin sets off sparks of tingles and Dean isn’t sure whether or not he likes that.

“Are you seriously ignoring me? I know you speak English; I heard you say it back in the woods. ‘Go’ wasn’t it?”

No response. Blue eyes just continues to tend to his injury, finally wrapping the bandage back on.

“Well you know what blue eyes? Screw you. You kidnapped me and your friends killed mine and now I’m going to lose two more. I deserve to know what the fuck is going on.”

The other stares long and hard at Dean, his expression closed off as he gets lost deep in thought. Dean would up and leave at that very moment but he knows the effort would be futile, so he just glares at the man defiantly. The silence allows Dean to observe the grounder’s features and he notices that the black face paint from before isn’t there. He looks just like any other normal person and would be except for the weird black clothing.

“I will tell you.”

Dean blinks in surprise at having finally got an answer from the grounder. An _English_ answer. “Hah! So you do speak English! Look, I can’t stay here because my friends are going to die!”

“I know.”

“You know?” Dean scoffs. “Then why am I here? Are you going to kill them too, hah? Murder them!?”

“No.” Blue eyes glares at him and inches closer, a menacing look on his face that startles Dean. “I saved your life and now I’m going to help you _again_. So treat me with some respect.” The sound he makes is almost a hiss and for a moment Dean’s reminded of the vicious grounders that chased him.

He’s about to speak up when blue eyes cuts him off. “When we… attacked you we had covered our weapons in poison from a ialpon plant.”

“…A yal-pon plant?”

“It means to burn. When the poison from the roots enters your body it slowly spreads, causing a slow painful death that burns like fire. I… What my people are doing to yours is wrong. I don’t agree with harming innocents and that is why I let you escape.”

“Then why did you bring me here?”

“I knew you were looking for something to save your companions… it was only a matter of time before you realised about the poisoning. I was patrolling the area and a few of my brother warriors were around. You were in danger so I did what I could.”

“So you knocked me out? Couldn’t you have just, I don’t know, talked to me?”

“Would you have listened?”

Dean’s about to argue but stops, because he knows that he wouldn’t have listened, not to a grounder anyways.

Blue eyes just raises an eyebrow. “Exactly.”

Ugh. “Then why am I here still?”

“I have prepared an antidote.”

“What? Really! How?”

Blue eyes stands up and grabs a leather flask from a shelf. “This. I made it whilst you were unconscious. Also, I apologise for putting you to sleep; I had to use some beregida herbs to keep you down whilst I came and left, but I must have given you too much. You people of the sky seem unable to handle minor doses.”

“So you did drug me! I felt like I was having an acid trip!” The other looks down sheepishly at that but then tilts his head in confusion.

“Why would you have acid trip? That does not make any sense; acid cannot trip.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He shakes his head. “How long have I been out for?”

“Just the afternoon and parts of the night. It is not too late so you should be able to make it back before tomorrow.”

“And I just have to get them to drink out of that flask?”

“Yes.”

Dean closes his eyes and releases a nervous breath. “So they’ll be alright?”

“I can only hope.”

It wasn’t the answer he was hoping for but it’s good enough. Despite all odds Dean trusts this man – a grounder of all things – and hangs on to the hope that this is real. Even though he should know better after everything that happened with John he just has a feeling, that those blue eyes are filled with honesty.

“What about your people? The grounders? Are they going to attack us again? Wait, you called us the people of the sky.” Which does sort of make sense once he thinks about it.

“Yes, I did. That is what my people call you since you fell from up there.” He tilts his head up to the roof. “There’s only so much I can tell you and what I have done already is severely punishable. Though I will tell you this; I do not know when my people – the wing clan - will attack again.”

“Shit. That still means they’ll target us once more, won’t they? How do we protect ourselves then against an ambush?”

“I will warn you.”

“Warn me how?”

Blue eyes thinks for a second. “Five moons from now we shall both meet up at the stream. I will be waiting on your side so you cannot be seen by chance.”

Five moons? So uh, five nights from now? Yeah, probably. “But won’t you be seen crossing over?”

“I am known to wander. My clan will not be interested in my endeavors.”

“Dude, English isn’t even your language and you speak it better than me.”

“All warriors are required to learn it. Though our native tongue is Enochian, the language of the angels.”

“Huh. Never heard of it.”

“Not many have.” Blue eyes stands up. “We must go. We still have half of the night to make it to your home. I will accompany you since you do not know these woods, especially at night.”

Dean nods and stands up, grabbing the flask and following the other out. The entrance to the cave is more like a hallway; it extends quite a bit before leading to an exit with a door covered in moss and vines. Once outside he can see that it blends in with the forest and if Dean hadn’t ever been here he wouldn’t have known it existed, not with all the large trees and roots twisting everywhere. This part of the forest is different from where Dean lives, with trees much thicker than the pines back home.

Surprisingly enough, blue eye’s little cave home isn’t too far from where Edgar was tied. Dean and blue eyes don’t say anything as they walk through the area since there’s a heavy silence of grief between them. Fortunately the body is gone meaning that Dean doesn’t have to see the horrors of it. He could ask the other what had happened to Edgar but doesn’t, fear of what they may say. Some things are better left unknown.

A bit further and they’re finally at the stream. Dean struggles not to trip because of the darkness of the night surrounding him but manages as he’s able to see blue eye’s dim figure before him move. They carefully (and Dean slowly) move to the bank and cross the water. It’s absolutely freezing during the night and he has to suppress the little yelp that bites it way through his lips. If blue eyes noticed anything he doesn’t say, just keeps on moving. Dean has no idea how the guy manages to be so silent and quick in his movements and he feels a bit dumb for splashing and almost tripping a few times. _That_ the other seems to notice and he sticks close, careful to catch Dean if he falls.

He’d tell him to back off and give him space, that he’s not a child, but doesn’t because that defeats the point of stealthy and there really is a chance he’ll trip.

They finally reach the other side and Dean mentally cries hallelujah. But his legs are now soaked and he’s freezing and he forces himself to climb up the small rocky cliff into the forest.

Blue eyes really knows his way around the forest and walks on confidently in his steps. That seems to interest Dean, since yeah the dude’s lived around here his whole life, but he knows where their camp is like the back of his hand and that’s a bit weird.

Dean whispers. “Uh, how long have you guys known we were here for?”

“Since the day you fell.”

“Woah, hang on. Have you guys been hanging around our camp since day one?”

“Just me since I live the closest. I had received orders from my clan to keep an eye on your people’s movements. Don’t worry, I have only been there once or twice.”

Which is still really terrifying, but at least it was him and not some other grounder. “Not sure I’m comfortable with that.”

The other doesn’t answer so they walk on in silence.

They finally reach the camp and a few tiny lights are barely visible from above the tall wall. He turns around and finds that blue eyes is staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Thank you,” Dean says, “…for everything. We’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“I am only doing what is right.”

Yeah… Yeah he is and Dean’s glad that there’s at least one grounder that isn’t a complete and utter douchebag. They stare for a few more seconds before Dean speaks again.

“So this is goodbye for now, huh. See you in five er moons or nights?”

“Yes, until then.”

Since they’re going to be meeting from now on he figures that he should tell the grounder his name. It’s only reasonable that he does so since he can’t call the other blue eyes all the time.

“Dean. My name’s Dean.”

The other doesn’t say anything. He assumes that giving names must be crossing the lines of friendship or something so he begins walking towards the wall’s gate. That’s when he hears the other speak.

“Castiel.”

Dean turns around, only finding an empty area before him. Damn that guy’s quiet. And what kind of name is Castiel anyways? He’s pretty sure that’s what he heard. Either way he now has a name to put to that face and it makes Dean quite content.

Without another second to lose, he slides the heavy gate open and walks in, closing it behind him. There’s light coming from the dropship and Dean quickly makes his way over, clutching the flask around his hip.

It’s silent when he walks in and Dean’s heart almost stops. Sam’s clutching Jess’ body to his chest and he looks up with tear filled eyes. He was too late. He didn’t make it in time. It’s all his fault.

“No… Sam I’m so sorry… …Sam…?”

“She’s dead Dean… She’s gone…” Sam looks down and brushes a stray blonde lock from her face. “…Jess…” Silent tears fall and he sniffs before gently laying her body on the ground. “…Where were you? You said you’d be back before dark… This - this wouldn’t of happened if... if you were here! …No, I’m sorry I-” he rubs his face, “…I’m not thinking straight. Something must’ve happened to you…”

“Yeah, something did.” Dean shakes his head. “I’ll explain after I just, shit, I need to give Jo this.” He holds up the flask and walks over to Jo. His brother doesn’t say anything as he twists the lid off, leans over the hammock, holds Jo’s head up and puts the flask to her lips. Dean helps her swallow it by tilting her head and closing her jaw since she’s unconscious. After a few minutes her burning, clammy skin begins to cool and she coughs and gags like she’s about to spew.

He yells out for Kevin and with his help they lift her up and down onto the ground, holding her steady as she sluggishly wakes up and throws up in a nearby bucket.

“What did you give her?” Kevin asks as he rubs Jo’s back.

“An antidote-”

“The red seaweed?”

“No, uh, the grounder that helped-” He cuts himself off, sadly glancing at Jess before meeting Kevin’s watery eyes, “… _us_ gave this to me.”

“Really? …And you trusted them?”

“He saved my life twice.”

“If you say so… but what took so long?”

“I was knocked out and woke up in his home. I don’t know, it just happened and I thought I’d have enough time if I made it back by light.”

“So did we... ...Look, Dean, it’s not your fault. I underestimated what time we had left and we couldn’t have known. Not here. Just, come and help me get Jo comfortable.”

Kevin drags over a blanket and they lay Jo on it, placing the bucket near her face. Kevin speaks. “The antidote is still removing the toxins so she’ll be throwing up for quite a while.” He lowers his voice. “We need to bury… Jess. Could you speak to Sam? You’re his brother so he should listen to you. I think he’s calmed down enough now; he’s been like that for most of the night…”

“Yeah, yeah of course.” He walks over to Sam and crouches, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder. Sam just nods and scoops Jess up. Her arms dangle as they all walk outside.

Charlie and Ash are there waiting for them and they all walk outside the gate, heading towards the burial ground.

Edgar’s grave comes into view and they all walk on. Dean follows behind Sam, watching his silhouette walk whilst carrying Jess, her legs dangling on the side. The sight makes him teary and he rubs his mouth, suppressing the urge to cry.

Ash explains that he and Charlie dug a grave for Jess after she died and that The Ark’s connection dropped out. They all nod in silence and circle around it. Sam moves forward and kisses Jess’ forehead softly before placing her in the grave. He swallows and begins crying as he does so and Dean can’t hold it back any longer. He grabs his brother and they hug, sobs escaping from the both of them as they fall to the ground clutching each other. Jess is dead, Mary is dead, their family is broken and the heavy reality of those things suddenly crashes on them like a ton of bricks.

Everything around them seems to slow down and in this moment it’s just them. Ash and Kevin both grab a shovel and begin covering the grave with dirt.

One by one their friends begin to leave until it’s just Dean and Sam.

“Sammy, come on…” He helps his brother up and they walk back into the camp. They’re about to go their separate ways when they both realise that Sam will be going back to an empty tent from now on.

“Dean, I uh… thank you, for everything. …So uh, goodnight.”

“Wait, Sam-” he grabs his brother’s arm before he can leave. “Do you want me to sleep with you? You know, just like when we were little?”

Sam smiles at the memories and wipes his eyes. “Yeah… Yeah I’d like that. Just like when we were little.”

Dean pats him on the back and they walk to Sam’s tent. It’s a bit crowded with two grown men inside but they manage. Dean would never admit it but he’s a cuddler, he misses this and for the first time in a long time it feels like they’re young boys again.  

***

“Chancellor, we’ve received a signal.”

Ellen looks away from the screens on the wall and walks over to one of the computers. The man sitting there is one of the many who monitor the children from The Ark.

“Where is it coming from?”

“It says it’s coming from Earth.”

“Can you zone in on it?”

“Yes.” He types away at the keyboard. “Here. It’s where the dropship supposedly landed.”

Ellen almost stops breathing. The kids somehow managed to connect to The Ark and maybe they can talk to them, find out what they don’t know and what happened to Madison, Edgar and… Jo.

“The signal is in Morse code. What should I say, Chancellor?”

“Tell them that we read their message. That this is The Ark.”

The man begins clicking away then speaks. “We’re communicating with a girl called Charlie Bradbury; one of the kids from the hundred.”

Ellen glances at the large screen on the wall and finds the name Charlie Bradbury. The picture above is of a girl with long red hair and pale skin. “Let me take over. I know how to use Morse code.” The man is slightly surprised but stands up and lets Ellen take over. “Thank you. And could you go find John Winchester for me? He may want to be here.”

Now that she has control she needs to ask the most important questions first. She taps out a message asking if the ground is safe. The answer she receives doesn’t surprise her too much. Charlie said that although it isn’t safe, they’re managing since there isn’t any radiation where they are. What does surprise her is what is said next. The hundred aren’t alone on the ground. There are people, actual human beings, living there, although they are aggressive after having adapted to the environment. Knowing that simple fact changes everything The Ark has ever believed and known. They believed that they were the last survivors of the human race, that it was their sole duty to inhabit the Earth. Clearly not. But that gets Ellen thinking; how exactly did the others die and are they actually dead? Is her daughter gone?

She asks Charlie if Jo is still alive.

The response she receives makes her cry in relief. Jo is alive, her baby’s okay! Madison and Edgar, however, are dead. It takes a few minutes for all of that to sink in because all this time she was losing the hope that her daughter was still alive. But that still means that two are dead.

She quickly sends another message stating that The Ark will be coming to the ground in what she estimates in a month. She doesn’t know when exactly they’ll leave, because oxygen levels are gradually declining. The council suspects that they may have less oxygen than what they originally believed, and if so then that means they’ll have even less time. Plus, they only have enough pods for five hundred people. How they’re going to tell everyone, she doesn’t know, but it will have to be done eventually.

John enters the room and walks over to her. “You said you needed me?”

“We have a connection with the children from The Ark. Jo’s alive, it’s safe, there are _humans_ living on the Earth already! John, this is huge and I trust you the most out of all of the other council members to show you this first.”

John’s eyes widen in surprise and it takes a few seconds for him to register everything. “Fuck, really? Wait, is- is Dean there? My boys? Can I talk to them?”

Ellen asks Charlie and she replies, saying that only Dean is there.

“Only Dean is there.”

“Can I talk to him…?”

“… John, I’m sorry… Charlie said that he won’t talk. He believes that it was you, that you… Mary. _Shit_.” Ellen curses, sadness overcoming her. Dean hates his father, blames him for something that wasn’t his fault and John knows that as well. The look on John’s face breaks her heart.

“T-tell him it wasn’t me. Ellen, please… I would never hurt Mary or them! My boys…” He turns around and rubs a hand over his mouth. “Fuck.”

Ellen tells Charlie that and there’s no reply for a few minutes, so she sends another message explaining that John doesn’t know anything, that Mary came to her to save her boys and be floated.

The Winchester family has suffered enough and she’ll be damned to let John take the blame and the hate, not when it wasn’t his fault. Not when it was Mary trying to do what she believed was right. Not when he’s hurting already.

There’s more silence and this time it stretches on for longer. Minutes pass and John seemingly gets more distressed knowing that his boys will never love him again, never see him as a father. Maybe never speak to him anymore.

Suddenly alarms go off and the large screen on the wall starts beeping. Dean’s profile dims before a red cross covers his face saying that he’s now dead.

John and Ellen look at each other with panic stricken eyes. She quickly rushes to ask Charlie what has just happened.

Charlie replies soon after, saying that Dean smashed his wristband.

“She said that Dean broke his wristband. He refuses to talk to you. I’m sorry John.”

John lets out a shaky breath and silently nods. “…Yeah. S’not much we can do…”

Charlie begins sending messages once more, firing them like wildfire. “Shit. John. Go get Linda Tran for me. She should be in the nearest medical bay. _NOW!”_ John rushes out.

Apparently Jessica Moore has been poisoned and her body has started to react horribly.

When Linda rushes in Ellen relays all of that information to the woman. Linda says she needs more information so Ellen asks for that.

“Charlie said Kevin observed convulsing, severe burning up and purple discolouration near the poisoned wound. She’s now paralyzed and has been unconscious all night.”

“K-Kevin? My Kevin?” Linda shakes her head, forcing herself to focus. “Hey you!” she points to a man at a computer. “Investigate the area the hundred are in! See if there are any places with medical plants or something from our records!”

Immediately the man is reporting back to Linda, stating that seaweed was commonly found in the streams around that area and was frequently used for detoxification and several more healing purposes. Linda gets Ellen to communicate that message back to Charlie.

Ellen looks up, “They asked what colour.”

“Red. The information said red. But I doubt that it will still be there, however it’s the best chance they have.”

Ellen tells Charlie that and for now they wait as time slowly creeps away.  The only thing they can do is try to stay in contact with the hundred for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY. THE FEELS. SAMMY.  
> It was bound to happen, because Samifer. ;-;.  
> Hehehe Dean finally met Cas *sweeet*
> 
> Aaaand... I used these websites for the enochian:  
> *http://www.sinleb.com/enochian/translation_index.php  
> *http://hermetic.com/norton/prcallsc.htm 
> 
> Enochian words:  
> ialpon - burn/scorch  
> beregida - sleep
> 
> (These are verbs and there aren't a lot of words for heaps of things so it's not grammatically correct but psssht I don't know enochian... Once again, I don't know Morse code either so please bear with me on this.)
> 
> Also, next chapter will be in Cas' POV.  
> Thank you for reading :3 Feel free to comment (makes me v happy).


	7. THE GROUNDERS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel recalls his encounter with Dean. A day later and Castiel travels to the Wing clan village. There's a lot of discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter compared to the others so I found it easier to write. I think I'll start writing at this length (~4000 words). And oh hey! Life is happening so I can't randomly update and write whenever I want. I'll probably update weekly and if I can't I'll edit the notes and say when I can/will.)
> 
> Once again, apologies for any mistakes. I know I write this every time but I don't have a beta reader and I tend to miss small errors. If you notice any please point them out and I'll fix them!
> 
> Also, there's a bit (a very teeensy bit) in here where crucifixion is mentioned etc (referring to Edgar) and if you're sensitive to that please skip/skim over. I'm not exactly religious so I apologise for any inaccuracies. I don't want to offend anyone.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: Okay, I TOTALLY underestimated how busy I will be/am. I'll definitely update next week (chapter 8's halfway done). From now on I'll update every few weeks (two? three? IDK) I'M SO SORRY.

**CHAPTER 7: THE GROUNDERS**

Castiel remained in the shadows as he watched the sky person enter through a large gate.

“ _Dean._ ” The name rolled off his tongue and he became lost in thought.

It was a strange name, something he’s never heard of. The customs of his people – the Wing clan - encourage that when a child is born they are to be named after an angel. He was given the name Castiel, the angel of Thursday, and it’s something he’ll forever treasure.

When the sky people fell from above his people watched entranced, frightened and confused. Villages held their breaths as a light burned through the sky and roared as it descended.

At first they thought it was the end; a punishment, but then they wondered if it was a gift from the heavens. However when the warriors (including him) were sent to investigate they learned that they were just people like them. They were harmless, loud, and captivated by the forest.

They wore odd clothing, lived in a strange structure and came from the sky. The leaders of the Wing clan didn’t like it one bit and neither did the elders. They saw it as a threat, something that needed to be eradicated. Living with nature gave them reason to be fearful of change. Especially when that change lived next to them.

Since Castiel lived the closest to the sky people and separate from the village, he was ordered to frequently spy on them and report back.

Then the order came for a small ambush on those who had wandered too far. He and a group of warriors were to chase them, scare them, injure them and even kill them.

It was unnecessary to hurt them, Castiel thought, since these people had no fighting skills and were completely oblivious to their surroundings. They weren’t a threat and thus were something that didn’t need eradicating. Castiel may have been a strong warrior, but he wasn’t a ruthless killer.

Some of the warriors had captured a male and killed a female earlier that day. They strung the male up and Castiel couldn’t watch it anymore. The boy was easy to disarm, defenseless and completely clueless. So Castiel left and went ahead of the warriors, deciding that if he couldn’t prevent that innocent’s death then he’ll prevent someone else’s. Of course, that would have to be done in secret; he couldn’t just openly betray his clan, even if his heart was in the right place.

Unfortunately ‘secret’ went right out the window when he saw a poisoned arrow go through a woman’s leg. She wouldn’t be able to make it back on her own and that left Castiel conflicted on what to do.

Then the man who called himself Dean appeared and Castiel was taken aback. The other displayed courage and loyalty and expressed so many things through his words and actions. Even when his life was threatened he stayed back to help the woman, not caring for the consequences.

Castiel observed their interactions and deduced that she was close to him. A family member or a close friend, he wasn’t sure.

Without thinking Castiel had made himself known. He grabbed the girl and held her firmly against him, knife to neck and careful to not actually injure her.

Dean didn’t hesitate to aim his weapon at him and at that very moment Castiel saw the greenest eyes he’s ever seen. His heart rate picked up. Why had it done that? This was the enemy!

But he couldn’t help but notice that the other was handsome, with short dirty blond hair and light freckles that scattered across his nose and cheeks. He had plump lips and long lashes.

Castiel stared.

Dean had this dominant air to him, this determined look to kill him if Castiel dared to do anything.

“Go.” He told them to leave.

Castiel shouldn’t have spoken in English. He had broken the rules but what’s one more rule to break? English was only spoken by warriors and healers and under _no_ circumstances were they to reveal that.

Worst of all, the woman was poisoned and Castiel couldn’t do anything to help her. Not with his fellow warriors near him. But he figured it wouldn’t take long before the sky people realised what was happening and came back.

And he was right.

Later that afternoon when Castiel was scouting the forest he saw Dean on the other side of the stream.

He hid himself between the trees and watched Dean crossing to his side. In the distance Castiel could hear someone in his clan calling out to him. He couldn’t risk a clan member finding Dean and harming him, so Castiel silently approached a crouching Dean from behind, muttering an apology before knocking him out.

Castiel carried Dean back to his home, and whilst it wasn’t exactly easy he had managed it. Dean wasn’t too heavy and whoever was looking for him had lost his trail.

Castiel was slightly lost at first on what to do with an unconscious Dean, but decided to tie him up in case he woke up and escaped. He couldn’t have the sky person getting lost and caught, and who knew when the other would wake up. So with that Castiel searched his shelves for some sleeping herbs and found a mortar bowl, a pestle and some water. He grabbed the pestle and used it to grind the herbs, eventually adding some water and pouring everything into a cup.

This would hopefully keep Dean asleep for an hour and give Castiel time to think.

He lifted the other up, opened his mouth and tipped some of the drink in, helping him swallow. When he laid Dean down he noticed his wrist and frowned.

If there was one thing Castiel could do for the other it was help heal their wrist. And – when he thought about it – he could collect nearby plants and create an antidote for the sky people.

Castiel came and went, checking up on Dean regularly. At one stage the other had woken up enough to notice him, yet was too out of it to focus. It was at this point that he realised he had given Dean too much of the drink, which was odd considering it was a small amount.

He exited his home once more to search for more plants. There was a presence near him and he glanced around, eyes landing on a familiar figure.

Balthazar, a close friend, was standing before him. A stern look crossed his face before disappearing. “Why hello Cassie. Just thought I’d drop by for a visit.”

“Balthazar, what brings you here? Only Gabriel is known to show up without much notice.”

“Ah yes true - your brother _is_ quite surprising…Well you see, I was by the stream before when I realised you were on patrol and then suddenly avoiding me. Care to explain?”

“I finished my patrol. Now I am simply experimenting with the plants I find. That is all.” Castiel turned towards a fern and pulled out some leaves.

“Is that why there’s a sky person in your little cave?”

Castiel paused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh come on Cassie, you can’t fool me. You’re horrible at lying.”

He stood up and approached the other. “You must not speak a word of this to no one, Balthazar.”

“I trust you, _not_ the sky person. But I will stand by your decisions if there is no harm, so please stop threatening me.”

“Thank you.” Castiel breathed in relief and stepped back.

“Thought you were going to kill me for a second.” Balthazar laughed, but when Castiel didn’t answer he nervously shuffled.  “So Cassie, care to explain why there’s a sky person in your cave?”

Castiel hesitated before speaking. “I… He was injured. Some of his people are injured as well and Balthazar, they have done nothing wrong.”

“And you’re here because…?”

“I’m going to make an antidote for the arrow’s poison.”

Balthazar raised an eyebrow. “Huh. I always knew you were a bit soft for family and friends but I didn’t expect to see one of our best warriors become a peace maker.”

“I’m not. But these sky people have done nothing wrong.”

“-And I agree Cassie, I do. But this could have you killed if anyone were to ever find out. You know what; _banished_. You’d be banished. I suppose that’s better than dying… Consider yourself lucky our clan leader Michael is your big brother.” Balthazar muttered.

“That’s why no one will find out. It’s just for tonight Balthazar. When the sky person wakes up he’ll leave.”

Balthazar sighed. “If you say so. Just be careful. I’m heading back to the village. …See you soon, my friend.”

Balthazar left and Castiel returned to his home after gathering everything he needed. Dean was still asleep and that allowed him to make the antidote and pour it in a flask. The night approached and during that time he had tended to Dean’s wrist. He left once more and upon his return a book was thrown at him. It surprised him at first but he quickly ducked, then sprinted and tackled Dean to the floor.

Dean cried out in pain and began to panic. Castiel flipped Dean over and straddled him, maintaining eye contact the whole time. Up that close he could stare at the other’s face and that sparked something in Castiel. It confused him once more and he stood up, ignoring whatever that was.

Eventually they fell into conversation and Castiel explained himself despite being reluctant to. Dean seemed to understand after some arguing but eventually relented. They both returned to Dean’s camp and that was where he had told Dean his name. Dean told Castiel his and they decided to meet each other five moons from now at the stream.

With that last thought Castiel is brought back to reality. Even though Dean returned to his camp Castiel remains hidden in the trees, waiting for any signs that the antidote was successful.

The silence of the night is disturbed when the gate opens and people appear. In the back is Dean walking behind a tall man holding a body. Castiel recognises that woman and instantly he knows that a life was lost. With nothing else to do, Castiel leaves quietly, giving the sky people their peace to mourn in private.

The journey home is quiet and Castiel welcomes the silence. Inside his home he walks pass the table and towards the back. Tucked away in the corner is a folded piece of bedding. Castiel pulls it out, lays it on the ground and begins to undress. He lays down on the bed and closes his eyes, sighing as he waits for sleep to overcome him. He has a big day tomorrow and he’s not looking forward to it.

 

***

By the time dawn arrived Castiel had already dressed, packed and left for his village. The way there was as per usual; it was quiet and peaceful. In a short amount of time Castiel reached a large statue of a man and that indicated that he was close. Barely half an hour later and Castiel was at his destination. Wooden buildings surrounded the area and he walked on, nodding politely at the people who greeted him.

It was nice coming back here every so often. This village was his true home and his childhood for it held many good memories of growing up with his older brothers and friends. However there were also many bad memories, most of which were related to the war with the Sand clan. That was something Castiel didn’t want to think about.

Up ahead Castiel sees Gabriel exiting a house and sucking on what he assumes is barley sugar. His brother notices him and waves. “Hey bro!” Gabriel hugs Castiel tightly then steps back. “You here for the clan meeting? Of course you are! So how’ve you been Cassie? I heard yesterday went A-OK.”

“Gabriel, please do not call me that.”

“What? Balthy does and I’m your big bro!”

“Exactly.” Castiel says and Gabriel pretends to look hurt. “And if your definition of a success means murdering innocent people then yes, everything went _‘A-OK’._ ”

His brother frowns at Castiel. “Look, Cassie – ah! Let me finish – I think this whole thing sucks as well. I’m a healer; I don’t exactly like all this violence. It’s unnecessary but Michael doesn’t realise that and neither do the other members on the council.”

“Then why don’t we say something? Michael’s creating a pointless war and you know it. The sky people have not threatened us and hold nothing worthy of gain. In the end we would not win anything. There are children in this village, so why expose them to bloodshed when there is no need to shed blood? We don’t need another repeat of the war with the Sand clan; you know that better than anyone.”

Gabriel shakes his head and starts to walk. Castiel follows. “Gabriel-”

“In case you haven’t noticed, you and I aren’t on the council. Michael’s the leader, Luci’s second in command, and those stuck up elders are little council rats.”

“Gabriel I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to mention the Sand clan.”

“I know. It still hurts you know. Kali and I could never be together anyways, so let’s just not talk about it. Ok? Sweet.” He claps his hands together and smiles. “If you really think this whole thing with the sky people should be stopped then be my guest and speak up during the meeting. We may only be invited since we’re Michael’s family, but we’re still brothers. You’ve got a say so say it. Just don’t stand out too much and wait your turn. I'll even speak up if I have to.”

“Thank you Gabriel.”

“Save it. We’re here.” Gabriel ruffles Castiel’s hair and jogs into the large house before Castiel can say anything.

Inside is a large long table and sitting around it are members of the council including Naomi, Metatron and Alistair. They all turn to watch him enter and frown at the sight of Gabriel cheerfully making his way to Michael at the other end. Michael, who sits on an elaborate chair, is seated next to their brother Lucifer. Gabriel takes a seat on the other side of Michael and lifts his feet onto the table. Michael silently scolds him for that and Alistair, Castiel notices, outright glares.

He never liked Alistair. No one does. And how he’s on the council is completely lost to Castiel.

“Thank you everyone.” Michael speaks as Castiel takes his seat next to Gabriel. “I know this is sudden but it is important that we have this meeting now. As you know, the sky people fell from above and have made themselves comfortable on the borders of our territory. They are a threat and are not welcome. Yesterday Alistair’s group of warriors were dispatched as a warning to the sky people. Alistair reported it to be a success.”

“Ah~ yes indeed.” Alistair flashes his sleaziest smile. “I believe without a doubt that our message got across. Those sky people will be running to the plains in no time, especially after the little surprise I left them.”

Naomi speaks up. “Disgusting. I do not approve of your barbaric ways. There was no need to display that boy’s death in such a filthy manner. You disgraced God’s son by crucifying that sky person!”

“Disgraced?” Alistair scoffs. “I thought it was a meaningful show of symbolism.”

“It was anything but!”

“Enough.” Michael interrupts. “Heated arguments have no place here Naomi. Alistair, what Naomi said is right. You were ordered to give a warning, not play around.”

Alistair scowls and sinks back into his chair.

Lucifer, looking bored, places an elbow on the table and rests his cheek on his hand. “What if the message didn’t get sent across? We don’t know anything about these sky people; not their intelligence, motives, nothing. For all we know they don’t give a rat’s ass or understand anything.”

Metatron hums at that.

“What?” Lucifer asks. “You have something to say?”

“No, nothing to say here.” Metatron shrugs. “Just that good ol’ weirdo Alistair probably just frightened them and didn’t actually scare them off. How can the sky people understand us if we’re not speaking the same language as them? I’m sure killing them means ‘we’re going to hurt you’ not ‘we’re giving you a chance to run’. At least we know they’re not exactly stupid. Have you _seen_ the weapons they carry?”

“Ridiculous.” Naomi says. “Talking to them will weaken us. They’ll take advantage of that. The sky people are unpredictable so we cannot just let them leave.”

Michael speaks. “All wise things to consider. Is there anything else you all want to say? Gabriel? I’ve noticed you’ve been particularly quiet this meeting.”

Gabriel’s hesitance catches Lucifer’s attention and he leans forward, observing the nervous glances Gabriel throws at Castiel.

Lucifer smirks. “Yes, Gabe, do speak. You’re usually bouncing off the walls by now.”

Gabriel glares at Lucifer and opens his mouth to talk when suddenly Castiel interrupts. “I do not approve of our actions, Michael. It is unjust. Fighting is not the solution to everything.”

“Oh?” Lucifer wasn’t expecting that and neither was Metatron going by the raised eyebrows. Alistair’s frown seems to sag even more and Naomi doesn’t exactly look pleased either.

Michael leans forward in his chair. “And why do you think that, little brother?”

“They have not killed any of our own. The sky people lack greatly in fighting skills and if it weren’t for the weapons they carry it would be assumed that they don’t know how to fight at all. They are not a threat as long as they are left alone-”

“And what Cassie’s trying to say is right now we’re the bad guys this time. The sky people haven’t done anything so we shouldn’t be doing anything either. Violence is a big no-no.”

Michael looks between Castiel and Gabriel. “You know what happened with the Sand war. We befriended them, trusted them, and were betrayed by them. Too many lives were lost and we cannot risk a repeat.”

“So what,” Gabriel frowns, “We won’t repeat a war but we will a slaughter? Is that it? Either way the result is death; this time it’s not on our side, just theirs.”

“You know Gabriel is right, Michael.”

Naomi scoffs in disbelief at Castiel and Gabriel. “What is this rubbish I am hearing? I knew we shouldn’t have let them participate in these meetings! They have no right here! Just because they are family!”

“Naomi!” Michael yells. “Castiel is our strongest warrior and Gabriel is our best healer! They have a right to be here and you will not offend my family. They have contributed to this clan more than you have and ever will.” He looks at Gabriel, ignoring Naomi's sulking, and asks, “What do you suggest we do?”

Castiel watches his brother struggle for an answer, glancing at Castiel with a worried look on his face. Instantly Castiel knows that his answer is not an acceptable one, at least not for the council.

“A peace treaty.”

“A what?” Alistair hisses. “You heard what Michael said about the Sand clan! That’s doomed for failure. We need to take those sky people out!”

“Oh shut up pervert. It’s not like you have a better idea!” Gabriel crosses his arms in annoyance. “Michael, bro, _please_. It could be different this time. Didn’t you say so yourself once not to judge a book by its cover or something… I’m just asking that we try. Give them a chance. Castiel wants that as much as I do.”

“You know, Michael,” Lucifer leans in to whisper. “I wouldn’t mind meeting these sky people. If we form a treaty then we’ll learn their ways, how they live and fight. We can always take advantage of that if need be.”

Michael leans back in his chair and sighs deeply. “You make a good point.” He replies. “Very well. I have made a decision. We will attempt a peace treaty and if the sky people are to refuse or betray us then we will not sit back in silence. Are there any objections?”

The room is silent.

“Good. We must meet with the sky peoples’ leader and they are to abide by our ways in our company and territory. Castiel, Lucifer - my brothers, I will send you both to give a message to the sky people in seven moons time. Find their leader and inform them that they will be meeting me a day after your message in the grass plains north of their home. No weapons are to be brought. Those are the requirements and I expect you both to remember that. I am travelling to a nearby clan soon so that is the earliest I can arrange this meeting.”

“Understood.” Castiel slightly bows his head to show gratitude and understanding. Michael dismisses the meeting and Naomi and Alistair leave, cursing under their breaths as they do so. Metatron scratches his head and shrugs, leaving as well.

Castiel grabs Gabriel’s arm before he can leave. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“Not for you bro, for everyone.” Gabriel pats Castiel on the back and reaches into his pocket for another barley sugar. “But damn was I nervous. Serious isn’t usually my thing, y’know? Well I need to scat; some lady’s kid is sick and needs me. Stay outta trouble Cassie.”

With that Gabriel is gone and Castiel is left with Michael and Lucifer.  

Michael walks over to him and smiles. “You have done me proud, Castiel. It’s not often that you share your opinion.”

“He’s right you know. Even I was surprised.” Lucifer says. “Our littlest brother is all grown up!” He mocks and laughs.

“Ignore him.” Michael tuts. “Castiel I agree with your thoughts; now is not the time for battle. If one is to start on the wrong foot then they are likely to end on an even worse one.”

“Wise words Mikey.”

Michael ignores Lucifer. “Will you both be fine with meeting the sky people in seven moons from now? There is a chance they will be alarmed at your arrival so approach with caution. Both of you will meet here before you leave and you will return by night.”

“We will be fine. Thank you, I know this was hard.” Castiel smiles.

“Maybe change isn’t so bad after all.”

Michael leaves and Lucifer follows, whistling a random tune.

 Castiel walks outside and is surprised by Balthazar who grabs and drags him around a corner to hide.

“So? What did they say? Good news? Bad news?”

“Good news is Michael’s going to try and make a peace treaty with the sky people. Lucifer and I will make our way to their camp in seven moons.”

“Oh my. I wasn’t expecting that. I assume Alistair and Naomi didn’t take the news too well.”

“Not at all. There isn’t really any bad news, but the negative side of things is that we don’t know how the sky people will react. We can only hope.” Castiel looks around. “Why are we hiding?”

“So we can talk about your little sky friend, of course. Everything will be fine, Cassie, you’ve got at least one sky person on your side.” Balthazar whistles. “If only the council knew.”

“Wait…” Castiel thinks. “Balthazar, I’m meeting up with Dean in four moons however I don’t have a night patrol then. Could you volunteer for duty then? I need to be certain that I won’t be found out, even if I am known to wander. I can use this chance to inform Dean about the treaty beforehand…”

“Woah… Hang on… ‘Dean’? You know the sky person’s name? And you're meeting up with him? You told me you weren't seeing him again!”

“Yes, but that’s not-”

“I’ll cover for you. This here’s some juicy gossip – not that I’ll say anything, of course. Does he know your name? He was pretty cute, right? Oh, how _scandalous_.”

Castiel hesitates before saying yes (definitely only to the first question).

Balthazar smirks with a knowing look on his face. “Never would’ve thought Cassie. Never would’ve thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up... In this fic there aren't any Mountain Men or any extra people from future seasons of The 100. Just the grounders and The Ark people. 
> 
> I feel like my writing is horrible ;-; OH WELL.  
> I'm still sorry about the last chapter ("e-e), but it had to be done.


	8. CONTROL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any mistakes please tell me and I'll fix them as soon as possible.  
> NOTES: Although the Wing clan's religion focuses on God and angels etc. it's changed and evolved a lot over the course of ~ a hundred years. So anything I write about their religion comes out of my little noggin and isn't the same as Christianity etc. I'm bad at describing things woops. 
> 
> WARNING: Violence.

**CHAPTER 8: CONTROL**

The last few days have been really rough for everyone, and by everyone Dean means him, Sam, Jo, Kevin… and, well, basically the whole crew.

Sam’s been dealing with Jess’ death the hardest, which – of course – is completely understandable since Jess was his soulmate, his everything. Sam believed that, and hell, even Dean began to believe that.

At first he thought Sam would shut himself in his tent all day every day mourning over the loss. He did for a day, but then he didn’t. For the past four days Sam was up and about, busy helping get the camp in order.

Everyone was tiptoeing around his agitated brother, careful not to bring up Jess so that everything remained calm, and it worked.

In no time at all their meat supply was steady, they had tubs filled with collected water and had retrieved the rest of the weapons from the bunker. The wall that had been built around their camp was also more solid, sturdy, and safe.

Because of the grounders Sam saw to exploring the woods in a different direction. Up north, they learned, was where the forest ended and spanned into flat, green plains. An ocean was across from there and that was the greatest thing Dean, Sam and everybody else had ever seen.

Not too far from the plains, and close to their camp, was a large lake that connected to a river. Now that was something Dean was grateful for.

But as awesome as everything sounds, Dean saw what Sam was doing. He was working to the point of exhaustion, using distractions to help him cope and, if it weren’t for the fact that Dean does the same, he would have confronted Sam.

He didn’t.

If it came to a point where Sam was risking his health, then yeah Dean would say something, but this was probably better than letting his brother close himself off and hide from the world.

Jo, on the other hand, was doing pretty well. The medicine he had given her worked, getting rid of the poison completely (even if that ended in a lot of vomit).

She was alive and that was all that mattered.

However because of that situation Dean had to explain himself to his friends about the antidote and his disappearance.

To say they were surprised was an understatement and going from their reactions alone Dean decided to not share with everyone else. The last thing he needed was a heated argument throughout the whole camp and people questioning his and Sam’s authority. He needed to maintain everyone’s trust and they weren’t going to be very accepting to the concept of a _nice_ grounder.

Even Sam was conflicted when he found out, not knowing how to view the grounders. He wanted to hate them, and he did, but settled on a sensible note that they too weren’t all the same; some were good and some were bad. Jess was saved by a grounder, after all, even if she died because of one in the end.

Dean and Sam didn’t mention that part in their discussion, but they both knew it.

Everything since then has been quiet. No grounders, nothing. And whilst that should have been a relief it wasn’t, because what if they were planning something else? Another attack? Another ambush? That kept everyone on edge and alert.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

Dean finally witnessed for himself Bela and Sal going off into the bushes and disappearing for an hour or so each time. Every so often it was someone else with them. It changed, and Dean found that odd but he wasn’t going to question their sexcapades (according to Becky) just yet, especially when Bela or someone came back with rumpled clothes and flushed cheeks. That was just asking for a whole ‘nother level of awkward.

And then there was tonight.

Four nights had passed since he promised to meet up with Castiel and since tonight would be the fifth night that meant he was seeing the grounder later on. Dean honestly didn’t know what to expect, and what was worse was that he agreed to go. Just remembering the conversation made Dean groan because _ugh_ , he was all awkward and sort of wanted to see the other again. Sort of.

If Dean stomps on his feelings and throws it away he can actually see the benefits in this meeting. They become acquaintances, or simply _not_ enemies, and can establish more trust. Castiel already saved his life twice and tried to save everyone else’s so they’re off to a good start. And ever since Castiel’s talk of equality he can count on the other to hopefully update him on what’s going on, if the grounders from the Wing clan (that’s what Cas called it, right?) are going to strike again.

Wait. Woah. _Cas_. That kind of slipped.

Dean shrugs. It’s easier than Cas-tee-el so he’ll take it.

“Dean!” Jo shouts and jogs up to him. “Have you heard anything from The Ark?”

“No. Nothing since.” He frowns. Charlie and Ash haven’t been able to get back into contact since after Jess. Charlie, with nothing really better to do, sits by the radio all day except when eating or when going to do her ‘business’. He doesn’t know how she does it because Dean would go insane staying in the same room for so long. Charlie just said she doesn’t mind since she can work on projects.

Jo looks down in disappointment, clearly upset that she hasn’t been able to talk to Ellen. There’s nothing they can do and he tells her that. They can only hope and wait. Jo sighs.

“Yeah, I know. It just sucks. My mum was there and I wasn’t even able to hear her voice.”

He doesn’t reply, just nods. They’d had this conversation before. It ended up with an emotional Jo yelling that he didn’t understand, that he was able to hear his ‘dad’s’ voice. Dean just walked away.

He did understand. He _does_. But that understanding wasn’t directed towards John, it was directed towards his mum and not being able to touch, hear, or see her again. Jo still had a chance and afterwards she realised what she had said and apologised profusely. He simply dismissed it, saying it was all right since she was stressed. Everyone was, including him since he was about to go tell Sam about his meeting tonight. He really should have told Sam earlier but he avoided it. 

“I know. Just hang in there Jo.” He pats her on the shoulder and walks away, heading towards Sam’s tent.

He honestly doesn’t know how his brother will react considering he kept it a secret, and, to top it off, he’s seeing a grounder. But it’s Castiel and Dean trusts the dude, and therefore so should Sam.

Just as Dean reaches the tent Sam walks out in a hurry. “Woah! Sam! Hey, wait up!”

“Dean. Look - I’m busy right now and I need to go look at a bunker Nate found.”

“Sam I really need to talk. This can’t wait!”

“Later-”

“No. Now.”

Sam stops in his tracks and sighs. “ _What,_ Dean?”

“Don’t be an ass, OK? I know shit’s been hard but I really need to talk to you.”

“Fine. I’m listening.”

“Good. But we can’t talk out here. Tent, now.”

Sam frowns in confusion before complying. They enter Sam’s tent and, once it’s zipped up, sit.

“Dean, whatever you need to say please make it quick. I can’t be here all day. I have better things to do.”

Dean huffs. “Are you serious?” he says. “Okay, sure, the last week or so has been a fucking rollercoaster but you need to get your head together. I didn’t come here to have a talk about your – whatever it is you’ve been doing lately. I know what’s going on and don’t think I don’t see it. Jess wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

“Fuck you. Don’t bring Jess into this.”

“Then what is this about, huh? You need to let it out Sam! Cry! Grieve! Fuck, I know this is hard but get a hold of yourself!”

“I’m trying Dean! I’m-” he swallows. “I’m trying… Okay? I need time.” Sam sniffs.

“I know. Sorry for snapping at you… and yeah, dick move, I know.” He apologises. “But hey, at least I got my little Sammy back. ” Dean half smiles and Sam snorts.

“Whatever. I’m sorry too, you know, for all of this. So uh… what did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, right. Well…” He absently rubs the back of his neck. “Tonight I’m meeting up with someone and no one can know just yet or anything and I’m sorry I didn’t say anything until now but…”

“Dean, Seriously.” Sam smirks. “Spit it out already. You going out with a girl or something and need me here to cover?”

“What? No! Ugh. What I’m trying to say is… You know Castiel right?”

“Castiel? Wait, that grounder you were telling me about?” Sam frowns. “Dean, what does he have to do with – Oh. Hang on. You’re meeting up with Castiel? What the hell Dean! Why didn’t you say anything! You can’t just spring this on me now!”

“You were never here!”

Sam flinches. “Right…Sorry. …But why are you…?”

“To find out what’s going on with the grounders. Sam, we need him. He’s not going to just let his people kill us. He said so himself.”

“How can you know for sure? You can’t just _trust_ him. What if it’s a trap, or I don’t know, a way to gain your trust and then kill you!”

“It’s not. I just know, okay. You know what he’s done for us and you trust me, right?”

“Fine. But if you’re not back by morning-”

“I know Sam. Everything’ll be fine. I’ll even bring a gun just in case if that’ll make you feel better.”

“It will, but I still don’t think this is a great idea.”

“Maybe not, but it’s at least a good one.”

“Guess I’ll just be staying here then.”

“Thanks Sam. I mean it.”

“Yeah well just be careful.”

“I will.”

***

Night approached quicker than expected. With everything on Dean’s mind lately time had just slipped and before he knew it light blue skies blended into an array of warm colours that soon became a dark midnight blue.  

In the end Charlie and Jo found out about the meeting because _apparently_ he had been radiating nerves all day. They eventually cornered him and demanded what’s up.

First of all, he wasn’t _that_ nervous, but Jo was scary and Charlie was in full mother hen mode so he had no option but to admit that yeah, something was up.

So here he was, trudging through the forest whilst Sam, Jo and Charlie covered for him, making up some lie that he found something and was checking it out at night to avoid being seen.

Dean didn’t know what to expect once he reached the stream. Cas had said that he’d be waiting on his side so Dean waited, unsure of when the other would actually arrive.

Although it was silent Dean found that he was surrounded by noises; there were insects chirping, leaves rustling, water flowing. It was calming in a way and a cool, gentle breeze amplified that calmness.

Dean heard branches shake in the distance and when he found the source of the noise he realised it was Castiel. The other was hard to see with their dark clothing but as they crossed the stream, gracefully hopping from rock to rock, Dean could see pale skin and too blue eyes. For some reason that made Dean smile and when Castiel noticed he smiled as well.

“Hello Dean.”

“Hey Cas.” The other was always stiff when he talked and that made Dean’s smile widen.

“…Cas?” The grounder asked, brows furrowed.

“Uh, that’s just a nickname, you know? And it’s easier than Castiel… So yeah.” He shrugs.

“I do know what it is. It’s just that only those who are close to me shorten my name. ‘Cassie’ is what I am usually called, especially by my brothers.”

“Oh. I didn’t know. Is Cas too much? Wait, brothers? You have brothers?”

“No. No, I like it. Thank you Dean. And yes I do.”

Dean lights up at that. “I also have a brother – Sam’s his name. He’s real smart too.”

“You are fond of him.”

“Yeah, I am. What about yours?”

“I’d rather not say too much. I’m sorry Dean.”

“No… I get that, sorry. We’re not exactly friends. Right.”

“We could be.”

Dean looks up, surprised. “What? Seriously? I mean, sure. One step at a time, right?”

Castiel agrees. “Yes.” he then says, “Dean? I have important information for you regarding my clan. There was a meeting and a decision was made.”

Dean gulps. “That doesn’t sound very good. Are they going to attack us again?”

“No.”

“No?” Dean laughs. “Are you serious? Oh shit, you are.” When is Cas ever _not_ serious.

The grounder tilts his head. “Why do react that way? Isn’t that something good?”

“What? No, it’s just that I didn’t expect that. I thought another attack was at the top of their agendas bein’ the assholes they’ve been.”

“It was.” Castiel says. Dean arches an eyebrow. “But my say in the matter convinced them otherwise.”

“Aren’t you just a warrior?”

“I am.” Castiel doesn’t add any more to that. “The council decided they want to form a peace treaty between your leader and ours. In six moons two messengers, including me, will arrive at your home. If your leader accepts the treaty then they will meet our leader in the plains north of your area. There will be no war if all goes well.”

“That’s great! That means no more fighting, blood, death – Cas, we can live peacefully!”

“You still have yet to convince your leader. I was hoping that me sharing this news with you and your people will give your leader time to decide.”

“Funny thing actually; I just happen to be the leader of our group. Well, me and my brother. This peace treaty is definitely going to happen. Thanks Cas.” Dean almost chuckles at Cas’ reaction. The other clearly didn’t expect that.

“Oh.” He blinks, standing straighter. “I didn’t realise. I am certain you are a good leader. Same for your brother.”

“I’d like to think so. I’m not exactly leader material and our time here has been difficult. Lives were lost Cas, and I hope to change that.” He takes in Castiel’s tense stance. “Don’t… ugh, Cas just relax; I’m not different or anything now that you know. We’re friends, right? So loosen up. I'm a person just like you.”

The grounder does just that and makes eye contact with Dean. He seems a bit confused but doesn’t stand up straight like he would in front of the council. Dean’s his friend but it doesn’t feel like how it is with Balthazar or any other. Maybe that’s because he hasn’t known Dean all his life, but then again that doesn’t make sense since he feels close to the other. That confuses him.

Little does Castiel know that Dean feels the same way.

***

Dean’s pretty sure he hasn’t been gone for that long, though he honestly doesn’t know because he had talked to Cas for what seemed like ages. Although anything Wing clan related was off limits they talked about the Earth, about everything, about how mountains rose above the clouds and were often covered in white. Cas called it snow and said that although he’s only seen it twice he remembers the different textures, the coldness. He said it snowed here once, blanketing the forest floors in thick layers. Despite it being beautiful it had made hunting difficult and the winter far too cold.

Cas asked Dean where he had come from and that was a bit difficult to describe. The grounder was absolutely amazed at the thought of living on The Ark; a huge metal building (that’s how Cas summarised Dean’s description). And when the topic of space came about Cas was almost in shock trying to grasp the concept of a vast, black emptiness filled with millions of tiny bright balls of gas. Apparently the Wing Clan believed the Earth was a flat, never ending mass of land and ocean. They never fully understood what was above and thought the stars were the souls of those who had reached heaven. If Dean believed in that he would like to think that he could see his mum at night, shining like the beautiful woman she was.

The ground crunched beneath Dean as he stepped over dirt. The camp was near now and as he stepped closer he could see too many lights and hear loud cheers. It was confusing but he brushed it off as everyone having a little celebration. For whatever reason, he didn’t know, but something good must have happened.

The sight that greeted him when he walked through the gates was overwhelming. There was a huge campfire in the centre of the camp surrounded by literally everyone. People were cheering, gathering around the fire and yelling words of encouragement. ‘Do it!’ they chanted, and Dean’s eyes followed a line of people that led to the fire. A guy placed his arm on a rock, flat against the surface as Sal shoved a bar between the guy’s wristband and arm and broke the object. Everyone roared as the wristband fell and the next person in line moved forward. Bela was next to Sal, a huge smirk on her face as she spurted out words of praise.

Dean didn’t like this at all. Whatever happening was _not_ good. Everyone was breaking their connection with The Ark, leaving the people above to think they were dead.

Two and two clicked together and he realised what Bela and Sal had been doing all this time. They were forming a group, persuading people to rebel. Bela and Sal banded together, obviously because they were not satisfied with how he and Sam handled things.

But that’s the thing, Sal was the kind of guy who would never work with ‘kids’. The dude was completely loyal to The Ark and would wait for the council. So why the change of heart?

He watched Bela tilt Sal's jaw towards up to kiss him. 

Bela was fucking Sal.

Of course. Obviously.

This needed to be stopped.

“Hey! What’s going on here!?”

No one acknowledged him except for Bela. Her gaze landed on him and her smirk seemed to widen even further. Without warning Bela frowned, yelling to the crowd as he stormed towards her. Dean stopped in his tracks.

“Here he is! The traitor you called your leader! Dean Winchester is a liar! He’s betrayed us and taken the side of the grounders! I’ve seen it with my own two eyes! My people!-” The crowd shouts in response. “-It is just us now! Us against the world! The Ark doesn’t care about us and neither does he!” She points at Dean. “What shall we do with him!?”

“Hang him!”

Bela smiles at that and turns to whisper in Sal’s ear. The other nods and walks over to Dean, confident in his march as everyone yells ‘ _hang!’_.

There’s no way in hell that’s going to happen. Shit.

“Bela! What the fuck are you doing!?” Bela steps forward and holds her hand up for Sal to wait.

“I’m treating my people right, Dean. You, Sam, and every other rat you consider a friend have deceived us.”

“That’s bullshit.” He scowls. “You can’t do this to me. You can’t do this to Sam and everyone else; we’ve done jack shit and I’m going to crush you for this. Now tell me where Sam and my friends are. We’re innocent and if only you could let me explain!”

She leans forward and whispers in his ear. “You may know that but they don’t. I saw you and that grounder Dean, earlier tonight. Heard your conversation with your dear little brother Sammy. I finally found your weakness.” Her breath grazes his ear and he has to physically restrain himself from shoving her away. “So tell me, what is it about that grounder, huh? Was he a nice fuck? I could use a decent lay too.” She whispers. “Sal isn’t that exciting.”

“Fuck you.” He pushes her aggressively and she falls. Dean is against using violence towards a woman but when said woman is going to insult you, betray you, and even hang you all reasoning flies out the window.

Just as he moves in for a punch Sal hooks his arms beneath Dean’s armpits and hauls him up. People close in on him and grab his legs. He kicks and struggles but can’t break free, especially now that his legs are tied. They carry him over to another area and Dean can see Sam, Charlie, Kevin and Jo all tied up and leaning on the ground. Becky and Ash aren’t there and Dean doesn’t know whether or not that’s a good thing.

“Sam!” He shouts at the same time Sam yells 'Dean'. He struggles once more but fails to escape.

Someone throws a rope over a tall tree branch and it drops, revealing a noose. He throws his head back and manages to whack Sal in the nose. The other drops him and curses, blood spilling into their hand.

The fall makes Dean groan in pain and Sal kicks him before tying his arms, picking him up and forcing him to stand on a bucket.

He struggles but it’s no use, so he yells for everyone to listen to him, to let him explain what’s going on. He only stops when Bela speaks.

“We’ll make a deal. You go and the others live.”

What other choice does he have?

“Dean! Don’t listen to her!” Sam yells.

Charlie’s eyes are red like she’s been sobbing. Kevin’s slumped over in defeat and Jo looks on with a defiant glint in her eye. Even now she manages to look strong.

They place the noose around his neck. “Any last words?” Bela shushes the crowd and she stares at him, amusement spreading across her face.

Whatever Dean says in this moment may or may not save his life. He needs to choose his words carefully, needs to say something that the bitch’ll want to hear – or know. Sure, he could say he’s innocent, but he doesn’t have time. So he says this:

“The grounders want a peace treaty! They want to meet you, the _leader_.” He spits out the last word with venom.

“He’s lying!” The crowd shouts and they rush to pull the rope. _‘This is it’_ Dean thinks as he feels the rope tighten and his feet slip. The bucket tips.

Bela stays silent as the cogs in her head turn. The rope tightens even more and Dean’s throat _burns_. He can’t use his hands to loosen the rope, he can’t do anything. He can only swing as extreme pressure builds in his head and excruciating pain shoots through his body.

Dean’s vision starts to go black and everything dulls. He can hear the loud crowd. He can hear his friends cry. He can hear himself choke. His senses begin to fade and through the dulling of everything he can _just_ hear Bela shout 'stop'.

Suddenly he’s falling.

His eyes are burning with tears and his lungs are screaming. He coughs and coughs and curls in on himself. Everything’s a tingly sensation of swirls as his senses come back to him and when he can finally breathe Bela kneels down before him.

She leans forward and touches his neck, tutting. “That must have hurt, Dean. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to happen again, would you?”

He can feel himself nod.

“Thought so.” She hums. “Let’s make another deal. You tell me everything I want to know and I’ll let you and your friends live. I’ll convince everyone here to leave you alone. How does that sound?”

Dean groans in response, a husky _yes_. He can’t die here. He can’t let Sammy and everyone else die because of him.

“Brilliant decision. So… tell me more about this treaty.”

And he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting. Updating every two weeks makes it easier for me since I'm really busy. Also, feel free to comment (It'll make me very happy) and share your thoughts. :D. Helpful and FRIENDLY criticism is welcome (I'm not that confident in my writing abilities. Eek). 
> 
> I'm so sorry Dean D: And wow, I made Bela out to be a total b. o3o.


	9. PEACE TREATY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I AM SO SORRY FOR SUCH A LATE UPDATE I SAID I WOULD NOTIFY YOU AND I DIDNT I AM HORRIBLE  
> but it's here now :")) 
> 
> Since I'm studying full time I'll have these stages throughout the year where I'm hit with shit loads. (That's what's currently happening). 
> 
> I feel like this chapter was a bit meh because it's short (around 3000 words) but I felt like it was a good place to end it. Also thank you to my lovely commenters; you make me all so very happy and confident in how and what I write ^.^ It's really really really appreciated!

**CHAPTER 9: PEACE TREATY**

Ever since he met Dean, Castiel’s mind has been a muddled mess of whirring thoughts. All of these feelings were confusing and go against everything Castiel, and even his clan, stood for.

Dean was just an acquaintance, or maybe a friend at best, but nothing more. However his heart thought otherwise. …And body, going by the throb of an erection whenever he thought of green eyes and plump lips.

With an almost frustrated growl, Castiel left his bed and dressed himself; today was the day he sent a message to the sky people.

_Dean._

He shook his head and tried to focus. He was a soldier, damn it. He could control himself and ignore the warmth pooling in his gut.

Castiel reached for the long, silver knife beneath his pillow and tucked it in a belt around his waist. Satisfied, he left his home.

 ***

The first thing Castiel noticed was that the village was buzzing with nervous energy. Clearly, news had spread about the treaty.

He walked on, ignoring the frowning faces of men and women and stopped when Balthazar, followed by Lucifer, approached him.

“Good morning Cassie, ready for the big day?” Balthazar patted his shoulder.

“I believe so.”

“Good. I’m sure lover boy will be excited to see you too.”

Castiel sighed. “Balthazar, please, I never said…”

“Lover boy?” Lucifer arched a brow, “Is my little prudish brother finally getting some action? Top bunk or bottom bunk?”

Balthazar chuckled. “I’d bet top.”

“No, there’s nothing going on between-” he glanced at his brother, “I am not in any relationship. And Lucifer I do not understand what you are implying.”

Castiel shot a glare at Balthazar and the other simply shrugged.

“I was simply teasing you Cassie. No need to get your feathers all ruffled.”

Lucifer hummed and nodded. “Nothing wrong with some harmless fun. But as much as I’d like to joke around with your tea sipping friend, Castiel, we need to leave.”

“I have not seen Michael yet, though?”

“I already saw him. We have his permission to leave. Mike also sends his regards by the way so let’s go.”

Lucifer walks past Castiel.

“Guess I’ll see you tonight then. Good luck, Cassie, I am sure all will be well. Plus-” Balthazar leans in and whispers, “I wasn’t joking about before.”

In the distance Lucifer yells for Castiel to hurry up.

Before leaving Castiel replies. “It cannot happen; Dean is not a part of our clan.”

***

It’s been a long time since Castiel has travelled alone with Lucifer and, if he were to be honest, he didn’t exactly miss it.

The older had hummed a tune for the whole duration of the journey.

Castiel may be known for his patience, but even that was wearing thin. His brother was only excessively annoying when he wanted something.

“Is that really necessary?”

Lucifer spared a glance. “Ah, thought you’d never ask. And yes, yes it is… Say, I’ll stop if you tell me about this ‘lover boy’.”

“…There is nothing to say. Balthazar was merely joking.”

“Hmm…” Lucifer tilted his head. “True, but I’m not an idiot Cassie.”

“Brother…”

“I have two, well, let’s just say theories. First, you’re either doing someone in the village – which I highly doubt. Or two, you’ve met a sky person. Balthazar wasn’t exactly subtle. Brother, I know you more than I let on. There’s no fooling little old me. Now I wouldn’t say anything. Well, not unless I need to.”

 “…You… don’t need to. I assure you that this sky person is nothing more than a friend.”

“And since when have you ever had friends? And that means excluding fancy pants Balth, your brothers and fellow warriors. Family and colleagues don’t count.”

“I…”

“Exactly. Oh, and one last question; is your 'friend' attractive? Male? Female? I mean, I hope the tall one isn’t yours.”

“Lucifer for the last time we’re just _friends_.” Castiel protested. He then turned his head towards the sky people’s camp that was now visible through the trees. Already walking towards them was Dean, with a familiar tall man and a woman close behind. Seeing Dean brought a small smile to his face.

Beside him Lucifer smirked. “So that’s him? He’s the ‘friend’? Impressive, though I prefer the other one.”

Castiel frowns. “I wouldn’t recommend that. You’re troublesome.”

“I’m sure I’m not that bad; I could be like Gabriel. …Uh, Cassie?”

The closer Dean got the clearer it was to see something wasn’t right. The other’s smile was stiff, and that in turn put Castiel on edge. The tall man was uneasy as well.

Lucifer noticed Castiel tense and slowly brought one hand back to rest on his knife.

“ _Don’t._ ” Castiel lowered his voice. “Not yet.

Dean stopped about ten feet away from them.

“Uh, hey Cas.” He flashed a crooked smile. “You here for the peace treaty?”

Lucifer blinked. ‘ _Cas?’_ he mouthed to his brother, then grinned. His smile dropped once he realised that Castiel had told the sky person about the treaty beforehand. “I don’t know whether I’m proud or angry.” he muttered under his breath.

Castiel ignored Lucifer. “Yes… My brother Lucifer and I are here to deliver a message. Our leader wishes to meet you and your brother on the grass plains north of here.  No weapons are to be brought.” Castiel made eye contact with Dean and the other lowered his gaze, looking anywhere but directly at the grounder.

“I mean, yeah, that sounds cool. We’ll be there.” He said. The woman behind him coughed and Dean’s jaw clenched. “Oh, uh, right; this is my brother Sam and this is… Bela.” She’ll be coming with us tomorrow.” Dean awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and his shirt raised slightly.

Castiel sucked in a sharp breath. A large purple bruise covered Dean’s hip and if it weren’t for the fact that they weren’t alone he’d demand to know what happened. Now that he looked closely Castiel could just see red marks above the other’s collar. Something definitely was not right.

Castiel managed to drag his eyes away from the injuries and look at Dean once more. “We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

With that final statement Castiel turned to leave. Lucifer followed and once the sky people were out of view he spoke.

“What the fuck was that Cassie? So much for your and Gabriel’s peace talk! That was the most awkward conversation ever and I would have joked about it being sexual tension if ‘lover boy’ wasn’t covered in bruises!”

“I don’t know! Dean’s never had those before, he’s never been so… so tense.”

“Well what are we going to say to Michael? They didn’t look very excited about a peace treaty. The only one remotely happy looking was that girl in the back.”

“I don’t trust her.” Castiel said. He didn’t know why but he just didn’t. Dean had seemed so honest, not just with what he said but who we was as a person, and Castiel didn’t want to dismiss everything they’ve done. At least not just yet. And Dean had praised his brother, had said Sam was a better person than he. Castiel doubted that of course.

Sam had been on edge as well, and if Castiel put two and two together it becomes quite obvious that this ‘Bela’ woman is related the brothers’ uneasiness.  Dean had hesitated when saying her name, and that’s enough of an indication to label her as guilty.

“Me neither.” Agreed Lucifer. “If anything that girl’s got attitude written all over her. I’ve been fighting for much longer than you, brother, and my judge of character is never wrong.”

***

Once Lucifer and Castiel returned to the village they immediately sought out Michael. They recounted the whole conversation with the sky people, leaving out no detail when it came to the odd behaviour. They left out the part about Castiel ever meeting with Dean beforehand.

Michael didn’t seem too pleased with the information, but was glad that the peace treaty had been ‘accepted’. It was now a matter of initiating the treaty tomorrow and hopefully, _hopefully_ , no one was going to kill or be killed.

Dean and Sam’s behaviour had put a dint in Castiel’s confidence that nothing was going to happen. Clearly, something would.

***

This fucking sucked. Dean was practically Bela’s bitch and there was nothing he could do about it.

It was worth it though if that meant keeping Sam and all of his friends safe. They even gained a little freedom to roam around camp, and Dean was glad, despite having a shorter leash.

Dean was a threat, the others weren’t. Sam and his friends didn’t have a connection to the grounders and if they thought of winning people back they’d simply lose. Bela had eyes and ears everywhere. She had managed to convince everyone that they were no longer a part of The Ark; they offered the Chancellor nothing, especially since everyone here had been punished for meagre acts. The majority of people had lost their parents to the same causes as well.

Getting rid of Bela was too risky. Dean didn’t know what everyone would do.

“You didn’t tell me he was such a cutie.” Bela remarked.

They were in her new tent, which was huge now that she had the status of ‘leader’. Bela was sitting on a chair and facing Dean. Sal was standing behind her. She rolled her eyes when she received no reply.

“Fine, we’ll cut to the chase. What was that back there? You think I didn’t notice your little subdued act? I know what you did Dean. Kind of hard to miss when you have blue eyes giving me the death stare after you showing some skin.”

Damn, Bela was clued on. Dean thought he was pretty subtle plus the fact she was standing way behind him. He may have been toning up the whole awkward thing just a smidgen to make it obvious for Cas. The hurt and anger that flashed through the grounder’s eyes when he saw the bruises pained Dean.

“Oh I’m sorry, it’s kind of hard to not be awkward when you’re breathing down my neck twenty-four seven and I’m deceiving my friend. Which, you know, is part of your whole ‘master plan’.”

“You better beg for forgiveness you little shit!” Sal spat, stepping forward with a clenched fist.

“Wow, and I thought I was the bitch.”

“Stop.” Bela halted Sal by placing a hand on his chest. “We still need him just like his brother. The grounders won’t let us near if Dean’s not there. Remember the plan Sal; we get close, we accept the treaty, take out their leader, and then we’re in control.”

The other nodded and stepped back. His eyes never left Dean.

“And so what?” Dean said. “I die no matter what I do. I might as well just screw your asses over and ruin everything.”

“Except you won’t,” Bela rose from her seat and grabbed Dean’s jaw, “because disobeying guarantees death for everyone you love.”

“Fuck you.”

Bela’s nails dug into Dean’s skin, causing him to flinch.

“Watch your tongue, or I’ll have you hung again.”

“…”

“Night, Dean.”

***

“Dean!” Sam ran over to his brother and hugged him. They were outside, getting ready to leave to meet up with the grounders. “Everything’ll be okay. Everyone’s going to figure something out. Charlie, Kevin, Benny are all planning, okay? We won’t let you die and we won’t let Bela screw with us.”

“There’s not much we can do Sam. I disobey, you all die. I die. I obey, I die. I run away, you all die. And if we all run away, which we won’t be able to do since I’m the only one here who knows where Cas lives, we won’t be accepted by the grounders. A no show of me equals no treaty at all. And if I stop Bela from attacking then you all die and the camp hunts me down; that also equals no treaty.”

“Bela’s going to kill their leader, so I’m pretty sure stopping her is our best option. Castiel knows you, he’ll be there, and hopefully by saving their leader you’ll gain their trust. All of us back at camp can follow your directions and hopefully find Castiel’s home. That’s better than certain death.”

“We can’t just let the people back at camp die, Sam. They’ve been manipulated by pretty talk.”

“They _hung_ you Dean.”

“Yeah, well not all of them. The bastards that did can go screw themselves for all I care but The Ark is coming down soon and the last thing we need is a civil war.”

“Which is already happening.”

“Damn it Sam! There’s nothing we can do!”

“I won’t let you die Dean. Sucking up to Bela doesn’t guarantee our safety anyways. You know that.”

“It guarantees enough.”

As if on cue Bela walks over to them. She tucks a knife into her boot and slides a handgun into her jacket. Once satisfied that everything’s well hidden, she smiles.

“Once again, Sal’s staying behind in camp. You guys screw up and he gets the walkie talkie command to take your friends out. You mess with me and hello, I’m the one with the gun. There’ll also be snipers manning the trees at the edge of the plains and if the grounders retaliate then you two and your grounder friends go down. We clear? All ready to go?”

Sam gives a tight smile and Dean doesn’t say anything.

“Thought so. Good.”

***

The grounders had already arrived by the time Dean, Sam and Bela stepped out of the forest and onto the sweeping plains of grass. From where they stood the grounders were like ants. This was a good thing, the distance, because that meant their snipers would have difficulty aiming. They may have gotten better at shooting but they weren’t that good.

“Alright boys, you know the drill.” Bela nudged them and Dean and Sam lead the way. The walk was silent, tense, with only a few shared worried glances between the brothers. If Bela noticed anything she didn’t mention it. She just looked straight ahead with a determined look.

After some distance they could now see the grounders properly. Dean immediately recognised Cas who was standing off to the left. Towards the right was that guy that had been with Cas yesterday. There were a few more grounders that Dean didn’t recognise at all, however when a man with black hair stepped forward from the centre, Dean could only assume that he was the leader.

The grounder was dressed in dark clothing more elaborate than the others. He stood high and mighty, chin raised and eyes staring down coldly as Sam, Dean and Bela approached.

“Halt.” The grounder ordered. “Who is the leader of the sky people?”

Sam and Dean looked at each other and nodded. Sam took a step forward. “We both are; me and my brother.”

The grounder nodded. “And who is this?” He gestured to the woman behind them.

“Our second in command… so to speak.”

Seeming pleased with this information, Michael nodded once more and turned to the grounders, muttering something in what Dean suspects is Enochian. The grounder faces them once more.

“I am Michael, leader of the Wing clan. I take it you are willing to go ahead with the peace treaty?”

“…Of course.” Said Sam. Dean nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed under the gazes of so many grounders, including Castiel. He could handle Bela staring at his back, but Cas? That was different. The other’s gaze was intense, calculating, aware, and never left him.

“Very well. However a few requirements must be met. This treaty will allow both of our people to live in peace. We will respect your area if you respect ours. You may hunt up to the stream that separates our lands. Our territory strictly begins from there. Only when given permission may you enter our home. Of course, the same applies to us. If you fail to meet these requirements or harm our people, then you will suffer consequences. There will be war. Are you willing to accept these terms?”

Sam and Dean say yes.

“I am glad we can settle for peace then. However one last thing. Castiel, my brother, check for weapons.”

Oh shit. Shit. _Shit!_ They were all going to fucking die. Of fucking course they’d check for weapons.

Sam mutters _‘Dean, focus’_ and he does. His attention returns and he half stops freaking out, watching Sam stand still as Cas walks towards the other and pats him down. Once Sam’s in the clear, Cas looks back at Michael and nods.

“Dean.” The gravelly voice causes him to look up into deep blue eyes. It almost leaves him breathless, standing this close, and the urge to kiss is strong as Cas leans forward to pat him down.

“Dean,” The other whispers, turning his head slightly towards his ear as he checks his pockets, “You need to tell me what is happening.” Castiel’s hand slides over Dean’s hidden bruise and he winces. 

Without thinking Dean whispers back, “Bela.”

Castiel stiffens for less than a second before stepping back and looking at Dean with steely eyes.  As if nothing happened, Castiel turns around and nods at Michael. All clear.

Castiel moves over to Bela. She smiles. “So you’re _the_ grounder, huh? I’ve heard a lot about you from Dean. You’re quite different from what I imagined.”

“…” Castiel ignores her and pats her down.

“Not much of a talker are we?”

“You hurt Dean.” He states, and continues to pat, finally feeling a large bump in her jacket.

“Did I?”

“I will kill you.”

She whispers into his ear. “But you won’t. Right now everyone Dean loves is held hostage back at camp. I have men in these trees who are ready to smite every god damn grounder here. I die, everyone dies. Capische?”

Castiel’s hand grips the gun in her jacket. “Only if we all walk out of here alive and you let Dean, his brother and his friends free.”

“Deal.”

He hesitates before letting go. Stepping back, he turns and nods. Castiel goes to stand in line once more and sees the confused yet relieved looks on Sam and Dean’s faces.

Bela’s smugness irritates Castiel and makes him want to wipe her smile right off her face. Instead, he stays put.

Michael steps forward with a smile on his face. “Well then... to peace!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are grammar mistakes please let me know!  
> Thank you :D


	10. DESCEND

**CHAPTER 10: DESCEND**

“Chancellor, it’s time.”

Ellen turns her head towards the messenger and nods.

“How many people can we fit onto the pods?”

“Five hundred.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “Would it be possible to fit more?”

“Possibly five hundred and fifty? Six hundred?”

“Do six hundred if possible. How long will we have to board the pods?”

“Less than twenty-four hours.”

“…Alright. Please inform the guards to start boarding. You may leave.”

“Chancellor, you need to vacate now as well.”

“I will not.”

“But-”

“This is the only way to not abandon my people; the ones who will be left behind. Inform John Winchester that he is to take over my position on the ground.”

“…Understood.” The messenger hesitates before leaving in a hurry to deliver the Chancellor’s message.

Ellen looks around the room. Only a few people are at the computers, collecting and finalizing data to take to the ground. One by one they finish, and Ellen gives them the order to make their way to the pods.

The silence is suffocating, a reminder of the death that is soon to come. The lights soon begin to flicker and the computers turn off. The Ark is dying.

When their hours are up, the main system will automatically release the pods before shutting down completely.

It’s a scary thought but it comes somewhat as a comfort. Humanity will survive, even if that means two thousand people will die. Ellen shivers. The blood of two thousand people will be on her hands. She hates it, but there’s nothing else she can do. They underestimated what time they had left.

The air temperature drops and she rubs the goosebumps that ripple across her skin. She can see her breath in the darkness under the flashing of flickering lights. _So cold_ , she thinks.

Ellen slowly walks towards a desk and sits down, slumping against it.

She thinks of Jo, of Bobby and what they could have had, of her best friend Mary, of all the people she has succeeded and failed, of how longer she will live until oxygen levels become too low. She estimates she will suffocate in half a day, if not before. She’ll probably freeze before then though.

If anything, she deserves it. Two thousand people on this space station are in the same position. The least she can do is die with them.

***

People crowded the halls, waiting to be loaded onto the pods. They were barely restraining themselves from pushing past, afraid that they’ll lose their spot if a guard had to restrain them and take them away.

John stood tall as he watched on. He was standing near the vault entrance to the pod section. Guards were checking people in, counting numbers and helping people find their places on the pods.

Around five hundred and fifty people was all they could manage to fit, even less considering the council and a couple dozen of guards were included in that number. The truth is that they can only fit around five hundred civilians.

Women and children were the most important, followed by talented workers in fields such as farming, medicine, education and architecture.

These people had been selected carefully, based on their usefulness, criminal record, and potential to help humanity thrive on the ground. This method of choosing was the only way to ensure that everything would go smoothly.

The rest of the Ark’s population was blocked off from this section.

Out of the corner of his eye John saw the messenger he had sent push through the crowd. He frowned when he realised Ellen wasn’t following behind.

“Sir,” the messenger panted, “I’ve returned with the Chancellor’s last words. She is to remain here and you are to take over her position as Chancellor on the ground.”

“What?” John’s eyes widened. “Fuck! Ellen what have you done?” John strode through the crowd. He was angry, confused, upset. Ellen couldn’t just die. John couldn’t be Chancellor. It was too much and John was too broken. There were better suited people for that position.

John pushed past Bobby and was stopped when a hand gripped his arm.

“Goddamnit John where’re ya’ going!?”

“Not now Bobby! I need to find Ellen!”

Bobby’s grip loosened as he processed this and then became even tighter.

“Where is she?” Bobby demanded, panic seeping into his voice.

“Only one place for sure.” John pulled out of Bobby’s grip and pushed on. The other followed.

They passed the crowd of people, finally reaching a hallway. It was dark, unlike before, and the lights were flickering. John ran and turned several corners. He was surprised to see Bobby keep up yet could see him tire quickly.

The further they ran the colder the hallways became. Another turn and John and Bobby reached their destination.

They walked into the room.

“Ellen?” Bobby called out. In the silence breathing could be heard. They walked through the room, mindful of the desks in the area. John called out to Bobby and he hurried to where he was. Ellen was leaning against the desk.

“I thought I was imagining voices,” she whispered, “What’re you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? You idjit! Almost thought I’d lost ya…”

“Bobby, I have to do this. I can’t just abandon my people.”

“And you won’t.” Bobby rubbed his beard and avoided eye contact, trying to hide his emotions. “Hell Ellen, live the lives the dead can’t. What has to be done must be done. You still gotta job to do. You got Jo and… you got me.”

“Bobby…” Ellen slowly got to her feet and tightly hugged the other. “I… You’ll always have me too.”

Bobby returned the hug with just as much strength, basking in affection for once. They let go and Bobby cleared his throat.

“Yeah, well, we gotta go.”

John stood in silence as he watched the scene before him. A bitter feeling coursed through his body as he thought of Mary.

“John,” Ellen spoke, “I’m sorry for all of this.”

“You were gonna make me Chancellor, Ellen. You were gonna die and leave me and everyone and… and I wouldn’t be able to handle that.”

“I know and it was selfish but John, if anything ever did happen to me, know that I give this position to you. You have it in you to lead, and I trust you to look after everyone.”

“…” John didn’t say anything and just walked on.

They all continued in silence through the hallways, finally reaching the section with the crowd. Ellen moved ahead and asked the guards on their progress.

“Not as much people could fit on here as I expected.” Guilt was evident in her voice. “There are about two hundred people left to file on, including us and the guards.”

An hour later the last of the civilians went on, followed by Bobby and then John. With the area cleared, Ellen was lead onto a pod as well. Ellen could hear the last of the guards going into pods as she heard the thumping of thick metal doors closing one by one. When her pod’s door closed, all sound from the outside was blocked. 

The inside of her pod was filled with nervous, strapped in people. The wails of children could be heard as well as grieving families separated from loved ones. She walked on, ignoring the stares.

Ellen found a vacant seat and strapped herself in. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly to calm herself. All they could do now is wait and count the hours until they drop.

***

Dean looked over at Sam and could see he was not the only one who was confused. Bela hadn’t pulled out her gun, Cas hadn’t attacked, nothing had happened. And for that, right now, Dean was relieved.

Michael had finalised the treaty, praising the peace that would become. _If only he knew_ , thought Dean. Because really, they were fucked either way.

Bela still had Dean and everyone else on a tight leash. One wrong move and, well, capital punishment most likely. The one thing Dean never wants to experience again is hanging.  He can still feel the tightness of the rope around his throat.

Dean, after realising Michael was wanting a reply, forced a smile and cheered “…To peace!”

The grounders broke out in a loud cheer that sounded like a war cry. Dean looked over at Castiel and they made eye contact. The other’s stare was intense, deep and thoughtful. Dean shivered as he remembered the feel of Castiel against him, his stubble grazing his cheek as he whispered into his ear.

God, what was wrong with him? Dean coughed awkwardly and broke eye contact. He could feel his cheeks burn slightly.

Michael raised his hands in the air and the grounders quieted. “People of the sky, now that our business is done we shall leave.” With one final nod he turned around and the grounders followed. Cas was the last to move from his spot. He simply stood there for a few seconds, eyes sending daggers at Bela who simply smiled sweetly. Cas glared harder before turning around and leaving. 

“Now _that_ went brilliantly. Dean, your grounder is even more handsome up close. And Sam I saw – oh what was his name again, ah! – Lucifer eyeing you down like candy. Seriously though, who names their kid after the devil?”

Dean clenched his jaw and tried to even out his breathing. When he opened his eyes he saw Sam look away sheepishly and clear his throat. He straightened up.

“Bela, what happened?”

“Change of plan is what happened.”

Bela turned and walked towards the trees that lined the edge of the grass plains. Dean and Sam followed, wary of what had happened. As they walked the sun slowly began to lower, casting a golden yellow across the sky.

Finally, they entered the trees. Their snipers stepped out of hiding and out into the open. Bela shouted orders for them to head back to camp.

The camp, upon their arrival, greeted them with excitement. Bela headed over to Sal first and whispered something in his ear. She told him of the deal she made with a grounder, how Dean and Sam were to go free and their friends are to – well, remain, because really, what difference does it make if the grounder doesn’t even know who they are.

Sal grunted, clearly unsatisfied, but agreed nonetheless. Bela then climbed on top of a rock to speak.

Save from Benny, Charlie, Becky, Kevin, Lisa, Ash and Garth, everyone seemed to look forward to what Bela had to say.

“There has been a change of plan and we have accepted the grounders’ treaty!”

A large portion of the crowd murmured, clearly disappointed. 

“We will use this to our advantage. They don’t attack us, we live. I’ve come to realise ‘why disrupt peace if that means war, casualties, death?’ We are better off being protected and growing strong.” That made Dean frown. Bela was anything but for peace. “Lastly, there is one more thing to address.”

Bela paused for dramatic effect.

“Sal!” She yelled out. The other huffed and moved behind Sam and Dean, telling them to ‘move’. They were pushed forward until they were standing in front of Bella and facing the crowd. “I have made a deal. These two traitors are to go free in exchange for peace. But, now that it’s night time, I thought I’d make it fun.”

As if on cue Sal came around and blindfolded Sam and Dean. The brothers reluctantly remained still.

Dean’s vision went black as the fabric covered his eyes. Suddenly it was like his senses were heightened. His ears were straining and he could hear the confusion yet excitement of the crowd, the angry panic of his friends’ hushed whispers, the breathing of Sal near him and Bela’s voice.

“We will take them into the forest, blindfolded, and let them run! Let them fight for their freedom! I say give them a ten second head start and then we chase!”

Dean hears the crowd roar as Bela jumps from the rock and lands with a loud thud. Next thing Dean knows he’s stumbling forward as someone forces him to walk. His heart races and he can hear his blood rushing in his ear. Adrenaline kicks in.

“Sam!?”

“Dean! Ugh!” He hears Sam trip and Sal yelling for him to get up.

“Don’t touch my brother you asshole!”

He receives a sharp smack to the head causing him to lose his balance. Dean catches himself before he can fall.

The longer Dean treads through the forest the more he becomes disorientated. He feels completely lost. Although he hates to admit it, the presence of Bela and her followers is somewhat reassuring for now.

Hands unexpectedly grab his shoulders and force him to face a certain direction. All of a sudden he hears ‘RUN’ and he sprints. He hears the countdown, now on nine, and pulls the blindfold off as he runs. Suddenly it’s all bright then dark again as his eyes adjust. He can see Sam running near him with his blindfold off as well.

They make eye contact and keep sprinting. The countdown reaches two.

Dean leaps over a large root.

_One._

Yelling erupts and the stamping of feet sounds in the distance. Dean runs even faster.

He’s completely lost. This part of the forest hasn’t been explored yet. Well, at least not by him.

He jumps over another large root and then dodges a tree.

“DEAN!” Sam yells and Dean realises that Sam’s ahead of him. His brother has stopped and there’s a nervous look on his face. Dean catches up and realises what’s wrong. Before them is a large, deep crevice that splits the ground.

As the seconds pass they can hear the yells gradually becoming louder, closer. They had to jump.

Sam takes a few steps backwards before breaking into a sprint, jumping across and making it to the other side.

Dean copies Sam, stepping back and sprinting. He jumps and for a few seconds it feels like he’s flying, flying… then falling. He ducks into a roll on impact and puts his hands out to break the momentum.

“Dean, Dean come on!” Sam grabs his arm and hauls him to his feet.

Bela, on the other side, stops in her tracks when she sees the crevice. She frowns but shrugs; they’ve chased them far enough. There’s no way Dean and Sam can come back to camp, or hope to find it, or find the grounders. The other runners catch up to her and they hesitate to jump.

“Don’t jump!” She yells. “They’re as good as dead now.”

The runners seem relieved, yet irritated that the game is over.

Bela looks at Sam and Dean, seeing the anger in their eyes. The brothers turn and continue running, their figures soon lost between the shadows of trees.

Dean looks behind him and lets out a relieved sigh. The others weren’t chasing anymore. They could no longer see anyone.

They were now alone, lost and vulnerable to the world around them.

“Sam…” Dean huffs out. His ribs ache and he’s struggling to catch his breath. Slowing down, Dean stops running and walks.

“Dean we need to keep moving. We need to find a safe place to rest for the night.”

“Fine. But no more running though.”

 “Whatever.” Sam smiles and walks. “We need to last through the night and make our way back to the grounders during the day. They’re our only option.”

“Except we’re completely lost.”

“We could find a high point and climb, see if we can spot anything.”

“Yeah, good luck finding anything with all of these trees.” Dean falls into step with Sam. “Plus we can’t just show up on the grounders’ front step. The treaty, remember?”

Sam curses. “Right. We can’t just enter their territory without permission… But if they don’t kill us and take us in, then we can just explain the situation.”

“Exactly; we’ll have to explain, but we can’t, Sam. What about Charlie and everyone? The grounders would take out everyone back at camp.”

“Then what about Castiel? He’s protected and kept you hidden before.”

“Oh, uh yeah.” Dean rubs his neck. “…Actually, that might work. But we’re still lost.”

“At least I found a place to stay for the night.” Sam points to a rock formation that’s barely visible through the trees. Dean eyes it warily, suspicious of something jumping out and eating him, but so far nothing happens. It’s mostly silent, except for the chirping of bugs, and as they approach the rock formation they see a small, shallow cave.

“It looks pretty safe Dean. Come on.” They enter it. “There’s nothing else in here, and it’s not too dark; there’s some natural lighting coming in. Do you want to build a fire?”

“Nah. It’s not that cold and I don’t want to draw attention. Who knows what’ll walk in here.”

“Us, Dean. We’ll be fine.”

Dean nods and walks towards the back of the small cave, leaning against the stone wall and sliding down. Sam sits down next to him.

Dean groans. “I could really use a beer right about now.”

Sam just laughs and shakes his head. “Same.”

They sit there in silence until Sam decides to lay down. Dean feels his eyes begin to droop and before he knows it he’s awoken by an incredibly loud clap of thunder. It’s daytime, sunlight is streaming into the cave, and Sam is awake as well.

Dean looks at his brother, “What the fuck was that?”

Another bang rips across the sky and the brothers run out. There are several flashes of fire splitting the sky that leave a trail of clouds in their wake.

“The Ark.” Sam realises, eyes glued to the sky. “Shit! The Ark!”

The pods disappear from view and then there’s a huge, deep rumblings that shake the ground.

And then silence.

Sam and Dean look at each other in shock, then understanding. They had to find The Ark before the grounders, before Bela, before chaos happened. They had to find Bobby and every other goddamn person on there.

They ran for what felt like hours, and when they arrived they saw a huge stretch of cleared land surrounding the pods. Trees had been burnt and flattened completely into nothing more but dust.

“Holy shit.” Dean entered the clearing with Sam beside him. The pods were large and completely sealed shut. They probably wouldn’t open until someone from the inside did so manually. If anyone was alive, Dean didn’t know. He could only hope.

“Dean, I’ll check the pods over there and see if I can spot anything. You keep an eye out too. Yell if in trouble! And meet me back here in ten, we can’t stay for too long!”

“Gotcha.” Dean nodded and went in his own direction. He walked towards a pod and was about to place his hand on it when he heard sizzling. “Better not…” He murmured. The metal still hadn’t cooled down completely. Instead, he walked around, looking for the opening.

“Dean.”

 He paused.

The grounder was standing before him, all armed up with weapons in his belt and his black, warrior clothing. His hair was as wild as ever and his blue eyes held him in place. Dean sucked in a sharp breath.

“Cas, what’re you-”

Cas was on him in less than a second, a hand covering his mouth. “I need you to be quiet. We’re not alone. There are a few others here with me – not a lot, since we are far from the village, but enough to cause trouble if you are found. Michael is not pleased with this… with the Sky people.”

“Me too Cas… Sam and I were kicked out, chased like animals. You need to tell me what happened with Bela. You did something, I know it.”

Cas looks over Dean’s shoulder and then grabs his wrist, pulling him further around the pod.

“We made a deal. Your freedom for her safety.” Dean realises that Cas hasn’t let go of his wrist yet, instead strengthening his grip and leaning closer. Dean can’t find it in him to push away.

“And what about Sam?” Dean whispers. With his other hand, the grounder softly brushes his knuckles against the fading bruises on Dean’s neck.

“Sam and your friends’ freedom as well.”

At that Dean pulls away slightly. “Cas, it’s just me and Sam. Everyone else is back at camp. …The bitch! She knows you can’t do anything!”

Dean swore that the sound Cas made was a growl, and God if that didn’t do things to him.

“I’m sorry Dean, there’s… I can’t do much else right now. But I assure you I will make her regret _everything_.” His grip tightens and Dean looks down at their hands. Cas follows his gaze and lets go, apologising.

“Don’t do that Cas, I don’t mind. I… it’s nice.” Dean steps forward and places his hand on the grounder’s arm. The other smiles. “Uh, Cas, see these things lying around? And remember the time I told you were I came from?”

The grounder nods, a crinkle in his brow forming as he frowns in slight confusion.

“Well, this is The Ark. This is them and there are people inside.”

Cas’ eyes widen, his mouth opening to say something but is interrupted when suddenly Sam is rushing towards them.

“Dean!” He half whispers. “-And Cas,” Sam looks at their arms and Dean steps back, coughing awkwardly.

“You find something?”

“Other than a few unhappy grounders wandering around, no. But I’ve been trying to find you.”

“Sorry, I ran into Cas so…”

The grounder looks between the brothers. “I take it they’re getting nearer. That means it’s not safe for you to remain here any longer. The treaty is still in place but Michael’s trust in the Sky people is rather fragile at the moment. He doesn’t know of the conflict between your people yet. And what has taken place here has gained the attention of many clans across the land. Nobody is pleased. …But,” Castiel adds, “I can try to persuade Michael, tell him of the truth. You two will stay in my home in the meantime until it is safe.”

“Jesus Cas, I don’t… Everything’s just so screwed up and… and thank you. But we can't just leave our people.. Shit... We don't have a choice do we?”

"No, we don't. We have no other choice but to leave." Sam shakes his head, sadness lining his features, but he smiles and pats the grounder on the shoulder nonetheless. The other stiffens at the touch. “Thanks Castiel. You don’t know how much we appreciate this. Oh,” Sam backs off “Right, sorry. No contact.” Sam looks over at Dean and raises his eyebrows, smirking when his older brother looks away, blushing.

“ _Any_ ways… We’re kinda lost so Sam and I don’t know where to go.”

“There,” Castiel turns and points. “Follow that direction until you find a river. The river connects to the stream and going right will lead you back into our territory. You will find your way from there. I must return to my group but I will see you again by nightfall. Go.”

The brothers nod and turn, walking in the direction Castiel pointed them in. Dean looks back one more time and sees Cas watching them leave.

“Dude, it’s kind of hard to be stealthy when you’re staring at Castiel.”

“Was not.”

“Yeah, and you said you were just friends.”

“Shut up, Sam, and stop smirking. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sam laughs quietly. “I do, Dean,” he whispers, “because that’s the way I used to look at Jess.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait.  
> Once again, I know nothing about machinery so im pretty much bs-ing right now lol meh  
> Feel free to comment (much appreciated!)  
> And if you notice any grammar, spelling mistakes etc tell me and I'll fix them (I'm very picky about these things eeeh)
> 
> I really don't like Bela woops


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